Shattered Remains
by Teagarden
Summary: Kaname, knowing he would have to sacrifice himself to keep the Hunter Association going, only told Yuki part of the truth and left her a human. Now, Kaname is gone and Yuki fights alongside Zero as part of the Hunter Association. But how truly gone is the original ancestor?
1. Kaname's End

**A/N:** I was not thrilled with how the Vampire Knight series went, so I've decided to take the story in what I feel is a more interesting direction. I didn't read the story to the end, so some of my stuff won't match what happened in the series.

Kaname's heart burned with pain as he looked out his dorm room window and saw Yuki walking with Kiryu on patrol. It seemed her memories were coming back. Not entirely, but enough that she was desperate to learn more, to learn the truth. Part of Kaname wanted her to remember. He wanted Yuki to remember that she was supposed to love _him_ and not Kiryu. He wanted her to remember that they were promised to one another. He wanted to live out eternity with her. He wanted the impossible.

Wordlessly, Kaname let the curtain swing shut. It had been too long since the furnace that powered the vampire hunters' weapons had been fed. If things went on like this, the Hunter Association would be useless, and dangerous vampires would run rampant. As much as Kaname disliked the hunters, he knew they were a necessity. Too few vampires were willing to police their own kind, even the Level E vampires.

It felt like the lives of millions rested upon Kaname's shoulders as he forced himself to his chaise and flopped down. He covered his eyes with the back of his arm, detesting his existence. Why did he have to have been reborn _now?_ Why did that foul Rido Kuran, in all the centuries that he lived, have to pick the moment he did to resurrect Kaname?

Humans who craved immortality were fools. It was a bleak and destitute existence. One that dulled the heart and the senses. Kaname's world, through his millennia of living, had become gray and lifeless. He could summon up no feeling for the events occurring around him. Descending into what he hoped might be an eternal slumber had been as close to bliss as he could hope to get.

Then…he'd been awakened by Rido. He'd turned his weakened form into that of a baby and his kind descendants, Juri and Haruka, had raised him in place of their lost son. Then… _then_ …the Kurans had another child. _Yuki._ Impossibly, she'd brought light back into his dark world. She made him feel hope, and joy, and love. Life had meaning again. The days with Haruka, Juri, and Yuki had been the best of his very long life.

The thought of marrying Yuki one day had made the thought of eternal life not only bearable, but something he looked forward to, something he suddenly desired more than anything he'd ever desired before. To live with Yuki by his side was a dream…and only ever a dream. It lasted a few short years before Rido destroyed that dream and Juri gave her life to lock away Yuki's vampire side, to turn her into a human. Before she'd died, Juri had begged Kaname to protect Yuki. To watch over and keep her safe. As a human.

Everything in him had rebelled at the thought. His promised eternity with his very reason for existence had been snatched from him so quickly, so unfairly. Leaving the young Yuki with Cross had been excruciatingly difficult. To simply walk away from the source of all his light and joy…to have her look at him with fear in her eyes…something inside of him broke.

True, he'd still been able to see Yuki upon occasion, and those moments were the only thing that kept him going. And then he'd been able to work with Cross to create a school to foster better relations between humans and vampires. He did it for Yuki's sake, of course. Better relations between the two species meant Yuki would be safer…the school also meant he would be able to see Yuki more often. Being so close to her, yet unable to really be by her side was almost as much a torture as it was a joy…and seeing her grow so close to Kiryu had been pure torture.

The Kiryu boy was a useful tool to keep Yuki safe, but every time he laid his hands on Yuki, Kaname wanted to rip his arms off. Every time Zero _looked_ at Yuki, Kaname wanted to gouge his eyes out. What right did that pitiful Level D vampire have to even gaze upon Yuki's brilliance? What right did he have to bask in her presence? But the worst thought of all was…when Kaname sacrificed himself and was once again sealed into a deep slumber, for as the original ancestor he could not die, would Yuki, _his_ Yuki, become Kiryu's lover?

~.~

"Please come with me, Zero," Yuki begged.

"Why do you need me to talk with Kuran?" Zero asked, brusquely tugging his arm away from Yuki's grasp. "You talk to him all the time, don't you?" Zero paused when he realized Yuki was no longer beside him. She'd stopped walking a few paces back. He tried not to sigh when he saw her expression. She was doing that little kid/puppy dog pout she had that always made him feel like a jerk for not bowing to her every command.

"I need you there," Yuki said quietly, gazing at her fingers as she tangled them together. "I know that Kaname knows something about my past, but every time I try to bring it up with him, he avoids the subject. He talks me around in circles until I don't even remember what I asked him in the first place." Zero stiffened. The thought of Kuran manipulating Yuki like that pissed him off. "I _need_ to know what happened in my past. Now knowing…these half remembered nightmares…they're driving me crazy, Zero."

Zero sighed. He knew how upset Yuki was by all this. How afraid she was. He wanted to help her, he just wished they didn't have to go to Kuran of all people for answers. "Yeah," he said in a gentle tone. "I'll come with you to talk to Kuran." When she smiled at him he knew he could never really deny a sincere request from her. She meant too much to him. Had done too much and sacrificed too much for him.

~.~

When they arrived at Kuran's room, oddly not running into any 'guards' on the way, Kaname opened the door and they saw packed suitcases in the background.

Yuki opened her mouth to ask what she'd come to ask, but her eyes moved between Kaname and the suitcases. Instead she asked, "You're going somewhere, Kaname?" Her eyebrows creased downward and she felt her heart speed up in panic. Where would Kaname be going and why? Surely it could only be a short trip. Something to handle some vampire emergency or another that required his attention. It couldn't be that she'd chased him away with her questions, that he'd rather leave than tell her the truth.

Kaname smiled sadly. "It's just a small matter," he said, reaching up and cupping the side of Yuki's face in his hand. He gazed down at her and ran his thumb across her lips. "Headmaster Cross knows about it. You…can ask him about it later. It's not something you need to trouble yourself with now."

"But—" A blush covered her face from Kaname's touch and her earnest eyes pleaded for an answer, but Zero interrupted her before she could say more.

"Yuki," he said sternly. "This isn't why we came. You can ask him about it later."

Yuki bit her lip, moving back from Kaname's hand. She couldn't think clearly when he was touching her, and she was sure Kaname knew it. "Kaname, please…tell me about my past." She gripped the side of the coat he wore. "I know you know something, and you're the only one I can ask. _Please,_ please tell me."

Kaname took her hand from his jacket, though kept ahold of it. He looked behind her to gaze at Zero and his mouth twisted in distaste. "I suppose you must truly be desperate to bring _him_ here." He stepped back to let Yuki in. "I'll tell you, Yuki, but must _he_ really be here?"

"Yes," Yuki said, her eyes determined. She curled her hands into fists. "You've said you'd tell me the truth before, Kaname, but you never do. I brought Zero to make sure you tell me this time."

Kaname sighed, but allowed Zero in as well. "You are cruel to me sometimes, Yuki, but I suppose that I deserve it at times." He closed the door behind Zero and gestured for them both to sit. Neither of them did. Kaname sighed again and turned away from them.

"I knew your parents, Yuki," he said. Even though she was expecting something like this, she still gasped. Zero put a supporting hand on her shoulder. "They were very kind," Kaname told her. "My own parents had passed away long ago, but yours took me in. They…had some dealings with the Hunter Association, but they desired peace between humans and vampires, your mother especially…It was my fault they were killed. There were vampires who came after me because I was a pureblood. You know that purebloods are more powerful and can control other vampires. Because I was young, there were noble vampires who wanted to kidnap me and raise me, hoping they could control me and use me to their advantage. If I hadn't been there, your parents would have been safe. I'm sorry, Yuki."

Stunned, Yuki sat down on the chaise, her legs no longer able to support her. "We knew each other?" Yuki asked softly. "We were raised together?"

"For the first few years of your life, yes," Kaname answered. "I was able to save you from the attack, but you hit your head and lost your memories. And then you were attacked again by another vampire who worked for the ones who were after me, which is the first memory you have. I should have stayed by your side until I could get you to Cross, who was a dear friend of your mother. Again, I'm sorry, Yuki. Much of the anguish in your life has been because of me. I still wanted to stay close to you, that's why I continued to visit you." He knelt next to her and placed a hand on her knee. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Yuki stared down at him in stunned amazement. She opened her mouth, then realized she didn't know what to say and closed it again. After a moment she asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me?" She couldn't stop a tone of anguish from entering her voice. How many times had she wondered about her mother and father? About how she ended up alone on a snowy mountain at night? And all this time, the person with the answers had been in her life.

Kaname stared at his hand on her knee. "You mean so much to me," he said quietly. "Your family meant so much to me and you, more than anything…" He paused and looked into her eyes again. "You mean more to me than anyone else in this world, Yuki. I couldn't bare it if you found out the truth and hated me. If you found out it's my fault your parents died and blamed me…I couldn't lose you like that. It was cowardly, I know."

Yuki shook her head, her hand lightly touching the back of Kaname's. "It's not your fault, Kaname. What the aristocrats did has nothing to do with you. You were just a child. I—" Her voice shook with unshed tears and she tried to get ahold of herself. "I'm glad my parents took you in. I wish I could remember our time together."

Kaname smiled at her sadly. "Thank you, Yuki, though I think it's best you don't remember. Your parents' end was not a pleasant sight. I'd hate for you to have that in your memories."

He hesitated before raising his face and kissing her lips. Yuki's eyes widened and she blushed. When he slowly pulled away, her eyes slid to Zero. He was looking away from them, his face stoic.

"I'm afraid I must ask you to leave now. I still have things to prepare," Kaname said as he stood.

Yuki felt reluctant to leave. Something about all this felt wrong. Why was Kaname leaving suddenly? He'd done so before, but never with packed bags. She had the terrible feeling she was never going to see him again. She told herself she was being ridiculous, but the feeling lingered.

Kaname turned away, but Yuki caught the edge of his sleeve. "Can we talk more?" She blurted. "When you get back? You…you can tell me about when we lived together."

He stared at her before smiling sadly again. "Will you do me a favor before you go, Yuki?" He took both her hands in his own. "Will you tell me your feelings me?"

Yuki turned red. "My-my feelings for you, Kaname?" Again, her eyes slid toward Zero. "You already know," she said quietly, staring at the floor.

"Humor me," Kaname said, releasing one of her hands to tilt her chin up. "I want to hear you say it at least once."

"I-I love you, Kaname."

Kaname kissed her again, longer this time. When he pulled back, his gaze moved behind Yuki. "Take care of her, Kiryu. Things might be…volatile for a little while."

"Why?" Zero asked, narrowing his eyes. "What's going to happen?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Kaname said, opening the door in a clear signal for Yuki and Zero to leave.

~.~

Kaname delayed his leaving later than he should have. He needed to reseal Yuki's memories, but after kissing her…he wasn't sure he trusted himself near her so soon. Part of him, a big part of him, wanted to throw his plan away. Forget about helping the Hunter Association, forget about all the people who would be harmed. He could change Yuki back into a vampire and take her far away. The two of them could live in a place where they never had to see anyone else again. Hadn't he already suffered enough in his long life? Wasn't it too much to ask him to willingly leave the only true source of happiness he'd ever had?

Kaname shook those thoughts off. He didn't plan to throw his heart into the furnace yet. He still had things to take care of to ensure Yuki's safety. Rido was still alive, and Kaname couldn't chance that Rido hadn't leaked to someone in the Senate that the Kurans had a daughter. On the off chance that some of them knew and might endanger Yuki, they all had to die. Their descendants, the Night Class, could take over and hopefully run a more just system. Cross had certainly tried to teach them to live that way.

~.~

Two weeks later, Kaname stood in Cross' office for the last time. "You're sure that Rido is dead?" Kaname asked.

Cross nodded, his face pale. "It was a near thing, but Zero and Yugari were able to kill him. There will be questions, though, Kaname. He kept talking about the 'Kuran Princess'. He also talked about Juri as though she were still alive, so we can pass off some of his statements as mad utterings, but…Some people are bound to take his words seriously."

"It doesn't matter," Kaname said, his eyes unreadable. "I've finished killing all the members of the Senate. They're no threat to her now." He turned to leave.

"So you're really doing it?" Cross asked. "You're really going to give your life without even telling Yuki about it? About any of it?"

Kaname paused. "That information will only cause her pain. There's no reason for her to know her true heritage at this point. Let her live out her life in blissful ignorance as a human, the way her mother wanted her to."

"That's not all that I meant, Kaname," Cross said, his voice uncharacteristically hard. He softened his tone. "You're leaving her without even saying goodbye. Without telling her that she'll never see you again."

"I already told her goodbye," Kaname argued, then smiled bitterly. "And I'm sure she'll be able to find solace in the arms of Kiryu, much as I hate to imagine it."

~.~

And so, Kaname Kuran carried out his promise, sacrificing his heart to the Hunter Association's furnace to power their weapons. A shockwave went through the vampire community when they realized the vampire Senate was no more…and that Kaname Kuran was dead. The Night Class dissolved, instead devoting their efforts to trying to keep their fragmented society together.

As for Yuki…despite her belief that a relationship between her and Kaname was impossible, she was still devastated at the news. And even more devastated that Kaname hadn't trusted her with his plans, hadn't trusted her enough to try and come up with an alternate solution with her.

But, as after every tragedy, life went on.

 **A/N:** I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, but I've been in the mood to write a new fanfiction and nothing else was catching my interest. Since I'm not ahead in my writing like I usually am, I don't know how frequent updates will be.


	2. Three Years Later

**A/N:** I'm going to call the vampires by whatever name I associate with them, which means that some will go by their given name and some will go by their family name. I apologize for the randomness of it.

 **Chapter 2: Three Years Later**

"Stop right there!" Yuki commanded the Level C vampire. The young man paused only long enough to sneer at her before taking off down an alleyway. Yuki gave chase, Artemis extended in her hands.

A fire escape hung down from the building on the left and the vampire practically flew up it. Yuki followed, pushing herself to go faster. Humans were only capable of so much, but after being trained by the Hunter Association for the past three years, Yuki had learned a lot.

When Yuki reached the roof, she saw the vampire leaping to another roof only a few feet away. Jumping and rolling, Yuki safely landed on the second rooftop, which, in the dim light from the moon, she realized was actually a rooftop garden. The vampire backed up to a brick wall that fenced half the roof, pressing himself against it.

"Maiku Cain," Yuki said, stalking toward the man. "You stand guilty of the murder of three humans. For these crimes, the Hunter Association sentences you to death."

The vampire bared his fangs at her. "All right then, human. Come and get us."

Us? Too late, Yuki looked at the top of the brick wall and spotted a second vampire crouched there, red eyes glinting in the dark. The second vampire lunged for Yuki. She dropped down and rolled away. By the time she rose to one knee, the second vampire was right in front of her. Almost without thinking, Yuki thrust Artemis into the vampire's chest.

Screaming, the vampire clutched at the weapon and electricity sparked along his hands, making the air smell of burning flesh. Yuki mentally cursed when she realized she hadn't struck a killing blow. Bracing one leg against the vampire, she pulled the weapon out and struck at his neck instead. This time, the vampire slumped to the ground, his body disintegrating into dust.

Before Yuki had time to find Maiku, a powerful fist sank into her gut. The force of the punch threw her into the brick wall.

"You filthy hunter," Maiku snarled. "You'll pay for Tatso's death."

Yuki shakily got to her feet as she struggled to suck in air. She held Artemis in front of her, but knew it was a feeble attempt. Maiku ducked under her guard and grabbed Yuki's arm, twisting it so that Artemis pointed away from him. Yuki gritted her teeth against the pain and tried to escape Maiku's grip, but her head still rang from smacking against the brick wall.

"You stupid human," Maiku growled, his foul breath brushing across Yuki's face. "I'm going to drain all your blood, just like Satso and I did to all the other—" Maiku broke off abruptly, his eyes wide in shock as he stared at the long blade suddenly sticking through his chest. His wide eyes rose to Yuki's, as though asking whether she had done this, before he sank to his knees and fell to the side, almost in slow motion.

With Maiku out of the way, Yuki could see the owner of the blade sticking out of Maiku's chest.

"Good evening, Takuma," Yuki said, straightening and lightly rubbing her sore arm. "Thank you. I'm not sure how that fight would have turned out without your interference."

Takuma nodded in acknowledgement of her thanks. He wiped the blood off his blade on Maiku's clothing even as the vampire disintegrated. "I know you're doing well as a hunter, Yuki, but you might want to think about still bringing a partner along with you when you go out. I'd hate to hear one of my kind had done something terrible to you."

Sheathing his sword, Takuma sighed as he looked at the two dust piles. "I know the vampire Senate wasn't full of upstanding vampire citizens and that they didn't support peace between humans and vampires, but at least they prevented things like this from happening. Without them around to enforce our laws…" Takuma broke off and sighed again, shaking his head. "I don't know what Ka—" Takuma broke off again, his cheeks reddening slightly.

Yuki knew what he'd been about to say, but still couldn't bring himself to say. He didn't know what Kaname had been thinking. Even now, three years after Kaname's more or less death, Takuma still couldn't bring himself to openly criticize his friend. Part of Yuki had to agree with Takuma. What _had_ Kaname been thinking? Why had he thought it a good idea to kill the entire vampire Senate? With them gone, many vampires decided that meant they could go after humans as much as they wanted.

Yuki bit her lip before saying. "Right now, the Night Class and Hunter Association are fighting for the same thing, really." The Hunter Association was working to eliminate all the vampires who'd decided it was now open season on humans. The former vampires of the Night Class were doing a similar thing, though they were trying to get the word out that there _were_ repercussions for all vampires who targeted humans rather than just killing all the vampires who did so. Truth be told, Yuki would have rather used tactics more similar to the Night Class's, but Zero claimed that kind of attitude led to more human deaths. The Hunter Association couldn't afford to operate that way. Not unless they were willing to accept an even higher growing human body count.

Takuma smiled sadly. The two of them had held this conversation before, which was part of what had led to them being on a first name basis. "I know. Believe me, I agree with you, Yuki. If the Night Class and the Hunter Association combined their resources, we could accomplish so much more. Even better, it would probably convince these vampires that hunting humans wasn't worth it, but…the Night Class will never work with the Hunter Association, and you're well aware that you're the only hunter willing to work with vampires."

He shrugged, a long-suffering look on his face. "Face it, Yuki, you and I are the only ones mature enough to want to work together. No one else from our respective groups does." He laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "I'm afraid that, at least for now, the dream of peaceful existence between humans and vampires is dead."

Yuki folded up Artemis and put it away as Takuma turned to go. "Is this really the way it has to be?" Yuki asked quietly. "Kaien and Kaname worked so hard to improve relations between the two species, and now…"

"How dare you speak his name," a new voice growled.

Yuki looked to edge of the roof in surprise and saw Aido standing there, his fists clenched as he glared at her. He looked more upset than Yuki had ever seen. "You were taking too long," Aido said, addressing Takuma before turning back to Yuki. "How can you possibly side with the hunters after what they did to Kaname? The Hunter Association is to blame for everything that happened." He looked down his nose at Yuki. "I guess it means that your feelings for Kaname were fake, or you'd hate the hunters almost as much as we of the Night Class you do. You're just another shallow human who only liked Kaname for looks."

"That's enough, Aido," Takuma said, his voice sharp. Aido flinched slightly, then turned his glare on Takuma. "Come on," he urged Aido. "Let's get back to the others." He turned and gave Yuki an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Yuki." He waited until Aido had leapt down before quietly adding, "You know the Night Class feels about what happened to Kaname, but…I know it hurt you as much as it hurt us." He nodded to her once before following Aido.

Yuki struggled to keep her tears in. Aido's words stung, even though he was wrong. Kaname's death wasn't the fault of the Hunter Association. None of them had asked him to do what he did. None of them had even known that their weapons were powered by the heart of a vampire. Kaname's choice had been his own. It still wasn't one that Yuki understood, but she knew he had made the decision, seemingly without consulting anyone. Not the Night Class, not the Association, and not her.

~.~

"How did tonight go?" Zero asked as Yuki walked into his office to give her report. As the current head of the Hunter Association, Zero didn't need to have each hunter personally report to him, but Yuki liked to. Otherwise, she might go days without seeing her friend. He was still as introverted and offish as he'd always been.

"Okay," Yuki said slowly. Her tone caused Zero to give her a sharp look. "It went fine," she promised, holding her hands up before Zero could say anything. "I was handling Maiku just fine, but it turned out he'd been working with a partner. I wasn't prepared to fight two vampires."

"So what happened next?" Zero demanded, looking Yuki up and down as though checking her for injuries. "As soon as you realized there was more than one vampire, you should have run. There's no point in you engaging a more powerful opponent, Yuki. You getting hurt won't help anyone."

Yuki tried not to sigh in exasperation. Another thing that hadn't changed was Zero's insistence that Yuki was an idiot who could barely think for herself. "I know I'm not good enough to take on two vampires by myself, Zero. But I also know I'm not good enough to outrun two vampires while being trapped on a roof with them. I took out one of the vampires and then…" Yuki paused, not wanting to say what happened next. She knew what Zero's reaction would be.

Zero crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, clearly waiting for her to continue.

"And then Takuma showed up and took care of the second vampire," she said in a rush. She held her breath, waiting for Zero's outburst.

Zero's eyes narrowed and his voice lowered to a growl. "And what was that idiot doing there?"

She sighed. "You know the Night Class is trying to gain control of vampire society. We encounter the Night Class on almost half the assignments you send hunters out on."

"The fact that it's only half shows just how 'dedicated' the vampires are to policing their own," Zero said sarcastically. "Those parasites get in our way and are accomplishing nothing. The number of attacks isn't going down with their interference. If anything, it's increasing. The Level C and weaker B vampires view the death of the Senate as their opportunity to break out and rule themselves. Powerful members of the aristocracy trying to reign in their behavior only makes them worse. They see themselves as proletariats fighting against their oppressive masters."

"Then maybe we should help the vampires," Yuki said, smacking her hands on Zero's desk. "The longer they go without a formal system of government, the worse things are likely to get."

Zero's glare became fierce. Yuki had seen veteran hunters quail under that glare. "If the Night Class is too pathetic to set something up on their own, our interference isn't going to help, even ignoring the fact that they would never accept our aid. It would be best if they stayed out of the matter entirely. Rogue vampires should be dealt with by the Hunter Association. That's why we exist."

Zero stood and walked to the window. "Give up your dream on peace between humans and vampires, Yuki. It's never going to happen. It was a fool's dream to begin with, one held only by you, Cross, and Kuran. The rest of the Night Class was only following him. They didn't really believe in it."

"Takuma does," Yuki argued. "And I think some of the others truly supported it."

Zero turned his head to give her a withering look. "Not enough to continue once Kuran was gone." He shook his head as he turned back to the window. "Drop this, Yuki. I'm tired of arguing with you and don't want to discuss this again."

Shoulders slumped, Yuki turned and left. Despite Zero's words, Yuki had no plans to abandon her dream of peace between humans and vampires. Yes, things were worse than ever, which meant it would be harder than ever to accomplish, but Yuki couldn't bring herself to accept that peace between the two species was impossible. She refused to believe it, even if that left her standing alone.


	3. Broken Nobility

**Chapter 3: Broken Nobility**

"I can't believe you even talk to her," Aido seethed as he and Takuma returned to the Ichijo mansion. "And I know it's not the first time you've done so. You should be ashamed of yourself, saving one of _them,_ one of the hunters."

"He loved her," Takuma said simply. "Would you really be okay with standing back and allowing someone he loved so much to die?"

Aido flushed, irritated at the reminder. "And look at how she's returned that love! Look at how she's betrayed him! Kaname, the greatest being to ever live, gave his love to Yuki Cross and she threw it back in his face by joining the people responsible for his death!"

Kaname wasn't exactly dead, of course, but he may as well have been. Even the long-lived aristocrats of the Night Class would be dead by the time Kaname awakened again. In the meantime, Aido was keeping Kaname's body safe in the basement of his family's mansion.

Aido wanted Kaname's body to be in their base of operations, but Takuma refused. He said that for one thing it was pointless since there was no way Kaname would awake, and for another, Kaname would have hated it. Kaname never have enjoyed being the object of attention and wouldn't appreciate the remaining members of the Night Class ogling his body as he slept. Though Aido hated Kaname being so far away, he had to agree that Takuma was probably right on both accounts.

Takuma spun around so quickly he surprised Aido. "Yuki Cross fought harder for peace between humans and vampires than almost anyone. She worked night after night both to keep the Day Class from mobbing the Night Class and to ensure that no one from the Night Class harmed a student from the Day Class. She gave up all her free time for _us,_ allowing her schoolwork and personal life to suffer because of it. Even now she argues at the Hunter Association for them to use moderation in hunting vampires and to work to repair their relationship with us. Does all that mean nothing to you?"

Heat crawled up Aido's cheeks and he felt angry at Takuma for making him feel guilty. Rather than admitting to feeling the slightest bit of guilt, Aido raised his chin. "I'll tell you what means something to me, that fact that _you_ are attempting to defend a _vampire hunter._ Or maybe you've forgotten that their mission in life is to kill our kind."

Rather than continuing the argument, Takuma merely shook his head and walked away.

Aido tried not to pout as he was left alone in the entryway to the Ichijo mansion. Aido was right. Even if he was a harsh on Yuki, he was still right. At least, that's what he told himself.

"You shouldn't aggravate Takuma so much," a girlish voice said.

Aido looked up to see Rima and Shiki at the top of the stairs, Pocky sticking out of their mouths as they stared at him. He glared up. "What, are you two going to defend that Cross girl too? After all she's down? After who she's given her loyalty to?"

"The Cross girl isn't the issue," Shiki said, his placid eyes seeming to stare through to Aido's soul. "The issue is that Takuma is fighting harder than anyone to keep us all together and create a new government for vampires, and you're fighting and arguing with him at every turn."

Aido felt guilty and embarrassed heat crawl across his cheeks again. What was it, pick on Aido Hanabusa night? What had he done to deserve this?

"I'm just saying what I feel," Aido said, jerking his gaze away from his pair of accusers and stomping down the hall in search of Kain.

~.~

Takuma let out a sigh of relief as he finished his glass of blood and sat down on his bed. Home at last. Not that Takuma's little break would last long. There was too much to do. There always was. Trying to gather enough aristocratic vampires with the clout and, what Takuma was calling youthful virtue, to create a new Senate was no easy task. Particularly not with Level C and even some B vampires causing trouble left and right.

He dropped his head into his hands, wishing he had more help. True, many of the vampires of the former Night Class were by his side, but they weren't all that organized and none of them had many leadership skills. Though they supported Takuma, the bulk of the work of trying to organize a new government fell onto him. He had such high hopes for what they could build out of the ashes of the old Senate…if only he wasn't the only vampire who felt that way. Even some of the aristocrats were arguing they should go back to the old ways when they hunted humans. Only Yuki seemed to understand his vision for the future.

Thinking about Yuki brought by Aido's words from a few minutes ago. It wasn't the first time they'd had such a conversation. Aido wanted to blame everyone and their dog for Kaname's death. Headmaster Cross for having ties to the Hunter Association and bringing Kaname into closer contact with them. Zero for being a hunter, though he'd been as surprised as everyone else at Kaname's actions. Yuki because she became a vampire hunter afterward.

Personally, Takuma didn't know if Yuki had made the right choice or not in becoming a vampire hunter, but it was her choice. Plus, he appreciated having an advocate for the vampires among the Hunter Association. He doubted anyone else was arguing for moderation in dealing with rogue vampires and the rest of vampire society. How he wished the two of them could work together to make things better, but such thoughts were useless. Much as Takuma would have appreciated taking a little time to daydream, he had real matters to attend to.

Stepping outside his room, Takuma was surprised to find someone waiting for him. "Seiren," he breathed in relief. He'd sent her on a mission a month ago and hadn't heard a word from her since then. "Did you find—?"

She shook her head before he could finish, stopping him from continuing. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I was unable to find any of the remaining purebloods. Assuming something has not happened to them, it appears they do not wish to be found."

His shoulders slumped. He had so hoped to gain the backing of one of the purebloods, however slight the chance of that might have been. Forcing a smile on his face, he said, "Okay. Thank you for searching, Seiren. I appreciate your help."

She nodded once before disappearing down the hall.

"Maybe Kaname killed them all," a voice behind Takuma said. He turned to see Kain, hands in his pockets as he stared at Takuma.

Takuma shook his head, though he honestly didn't know. "What reason would Kaname have had for killing the purebloods? Kaname never got along with the Senate. All they wanted was to use his power and fight against his dream of peace between humans and vampires. He killed the Senate because they stood in the way of that dream, entrusting its continuation to us."

Then again, what reason had Kaname had for giving his heart to the Hunter Association furnace? Takuma understood that the vampire hunter weapons would have ceased to work without Kaname's sacrifice, but…why couldn't Kaname have consulted Takuma first? They could have created a permanent vampire task force responsible for hunting rogue vampires and gotten rid of the Hunter Association altogether. Perhaps Takuma hadn't known his friend as well as he'd thought he had.

"What about the Kuran princess?" Kain asked.

"What?" Takuma asked, blinking in confusion. He'd gotten so lost in his thoughts he'd forgotten Kain stood in right in front of him.

"The Kuran princess," Kain repeated. "Rido kept going on about her, didn't he? Have you looked into that?"

"Oh, that?" Takuma asked with a small laugh. "Are you forgetting that I knew Kaname since we were small children? I met him even before you and the others, and I knew his parents too. Kaname didn't have any siblings." He shrugged. "Maybe the Kurans did have a second child and she was stillborn. It makes sense that they wouldn't have talked openly about that, but Rido, as their brother, would have known about it. The man was half mad. In his deluded mind, he may have forgotten that his niece was dead."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kain agreed, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets. "Kaname lived with you, so you would have known if he was secretly going off to see anyone." He shrugged. "I knew it was a longshot, it'd just be nice if we had a pureblood on our side. Then we could actually get something done." He froze, a guilty look overtaking his face. "Not that you're not doing a great job, Takuma. I didn't mean it that way."

"No, no, it's okay," Takuma laughed off, rubbing the back of his head. "I know that we haven't made much progress in the past three years. Rebuilding after everything that happened has been hard, but don't lose faith my friend!" Takuma gave him two thumbs up. "We were trained by Kaname and headmaster Cross, we can do it! It'll just take time."

Looking completely unmotivated by his impromptu pep talk, Kain turned and left. Takuma pouted, wishing he could do more for the other vampires. He went to his office where the former members of the Night Class compiled their notes on what they felt vampire society and government should look like going forward. It was also where they kept their notes on rogue vampires and Takuma had two names to scratch off that list.

The room was a mess. It felt like every time Takuma and Kain organized it, tornado Aido would come along and turn the room into a disaster site, or Shiki and Rima would sit on top of important files and scatter them when they stood up.

After spending several minutes shuffling paper around, Takuma realized he wasn't actually doing any organizing, he was just moving papers from one pile to another. He sighed as he stared at the mess. His lack of concentration was all Kain's fault. He couldn't get Kain's words about how Takuma would have known if Kaname was sneaking off to visit someone out of his head. Kaname _had_ been sneaking off to see someone from the moment he moved in with the Ichijos. But _why?_ Where in the world had Kaname met a little human girl and how had she come to mean so much to him?

Growing up, Takuma had never really questioned anything Kaname did. He'd found it eccentric that Kaname cared so much for a human child, but never thought much about it. Was it simply because Kaname had been friends with Cross? Both held similar ideologies on human and vampire relations, and he knew the Kurans had known Cross. Perhaps Kaname and Yuki had met each other back when Haruka and Juri Kuran were still alive. He didn't know how old Yuki had been when Cross adopted her, but that sounded like a plausible explanation.

However…plausible or not, the explanation didn't _feel_ right. He could see Kaname being fond of Yuki in that situation, but Kaname had never been fond of Yuki. He'd adored her. From the beginning to had been clear to Takuma that Kaname loved nothing more than visiting Yuki. Seeing her helped clear the dark clouds that gathered whenever the aristocrats tried to force Kaname into one of their schemes. Yuki was special. She'd been shown a side of Kaname that very few ever saw.

That again brought up the question of _why_? What bothered Takuma the most was that the explanation that Yuki was actually Yuki Kuran, Kaname's little sister, made complete sense with the way Kaname had treated Yuki and felt about her…except for the fact that Yuki was a human and not a pureblood vampire.

Takuma shook his head as though he could dislodge his thoughts. This line of thinking was pointless. There was no Kuran princess. Rido had been mad and his words nothing but inane ramblings that made no sense. If Takuma paid attention to them, it would just mean that _he_ was going crazy. Which was exactly what was going to happen to him if he didn't get this stupid office organized soon. Giving up, he left to go find Kain and make him help create some sort of order in the office.


	4. Aido Mansion

**A/N:** I don't remember reading anything with Kaito in it, but I needed another vampire hunter. As a result, his character will probably be completely ooc for this story.

 **Chapter 4: Aido Mansion**

"This is not going to be easy," Zero warned Yuki and Kaito. "This nest of Level B vampires has been working to gather Level D vampires and force them into Level E. They're hoping that the chaos caused by Level E vampires running around will distract the Night Class and allow them to rise to power."

Yuki had to bite her tongue not to point that out it would help the Hunter Association out a great deal if they just told the Night Class about this group of vampires trying to usurp power.

"How many vampires are we talking?" Kaito asked, studying his weapon.

"There are five," Zero answered. "They were a little too old to participate in the Night Class and felt slighted about not being included in the great Kuran's social experiment. They think this is a chance to prove themselves better than Kuran's hand-picked vampires."

Kaito smirked. "The three of us against five Level B vampires? I like those odds."

"Have they actually killed anyone?" Yuki asked. Kaito and Zero looked at her like she'd grown a second head. She knew they would, but she felt it had to be said. "Turning Level D vampires into Level E is horrible, but is the Association supporting killing vampires who haven't murdered any humans?"

Kaito sighed and rubbed his brow. "Yuki, killing humans is the whole _point_ of this group's plan. They want to create Level E vampires to run around slaughtering humans so the Night Class vampires will be distracted. Just because it's not their hands doing the killing doesn't make them any less responsible for the deaths."

"Oh," Yuki said, her face heating. Sometimes, her desire for better relations between vampires and humans led to her looking like a fool. It was simply something she needed to accept.

Kaito shook his head, sighing again, then patted Yuki on the head. "You need to think more deviously for this job, kid. You gotta get into the head of the enemy."

Zero gave her a hard look, knowing very well that Yuki was thinking she didn't _want_ to think of vampires as enemies. Yuki gave him back a determined look. If he didn't believe she was dedicated enough to the cause, he'd take her off hunting and relegate her to some office job at Association headquarters. Yuki wanted both to protect humans and to help hunters understand not all vampires were evil. She could best do that as a hunter they trusted and respected. Unfortunately, everyone knew of her ties to Kaien's school and her feelings about vampires, which meant most hunters regarded her with suspicion and questioned Zero's decision to make her a hunter.

"Let's go," Zero commanded, and the three of them left. Zero had had hunters tracking this group's movements for weeks. They'd been meeting in the abandoned mansions of deceased Senate members. Yuki guessed they thought doing so made them seem more rebellious or daring. She thought it made them seem disrespectful.

"Do you know whose mansion they're at tonight?" Kaito asked as they drove.

Zero shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We won't have to worry about the former occupants, just the members of this group."

"Is there anyone working with this group?" Yuki asked.

"The five at the head they have no desire to share power. They're hoping to set up a new Senate with only the five of them as members. They've been courting other vampires to gain their loyalty, but our intelligence says these other vampires know nothing about the group's plan." Zero paused. "The only other thing we might have to worry about is the Level D vampires. They're not in on the plan, but the group does like to keep them close."

Yuki bit her lip, staring at the back of Zero's head from her seat in the back. "And what about those vampires? After we take out the group, what will we do to them?" It was a touchy subject to bring up. Zero was, of course, a Level D vampire, but the more open-minded members of the Hunter Association considered him an exception. He was one of their own, born and raised, who'd paid one of the ultimate prices for his parents being hunters.

Zero's fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

"Zero?" Yuki prompted softly.

"Level D vampires are supposed to be under the care of vampires who will take care of them if they turn Level E," Zero said, his voice cold and dispassionate. "Any Level D vampires present will have been taken away from their homes and have no watchers." His voice softened slightly. "We can't just let them go, Yuki. Especially not since this group has been actively trying to force these vampires to turn Level E. We have no idea what condition they'll be in."

Yuki's heart ached as she wondered what Zero must be feeling right now. Did he sympathize with the Level D vampires? Or just pity them? Either way, Yuki hoped they wouldn't encounter any tonight.

~.~

"This group of vampires is trying to take control," Takuma said, using his pointer to tap the five stick figures with fangs he'd drawn on the whiteboard. He and the rest of the Night Class were crowded into his office for a debriefing. "They are a bigger threat than the rogue vampires we've encountered and must be dealt with."

Aido, sitting in the office chair with his legs propped on the desk, raised his hand like he was in class. "What does this group want?"

"They want to set themselves up as royalty," Kain, who'd helped investigate the group, explained. "According to them, the time of the purebloods and Senate has passed. It's time for aristocrats, those five in particular, of course, to take over ruling the vampires. However, they still plan to call themselves a Senate, at least at first. They don't want others to realize they plan to establish a form of monarchy until they have complete control. These vampires consider us their biggest obstacles."

Aido sniffed. "We _are_ their biggest obstacles. How arrogant of them to think they can take us on and win."

"They _are_ Level B vampires, the same as us," Ruka pointed out. "You shouldn't underestimate them so easily, Aido."

Aido glared at her. "We were trained by Kaname, the greatest vampire of all. You think these nobodies are a threat to us? Are you doubting our training?"

Ruka flushed. She was always sensitive when it came to the topic of Kaname. "What I'm doubting is your ability to not make a fool of yourself and get yourself killed. We need to be careful. We don't have enough allies to accomplish anything yet and losing any of us would be bad." She wanted to talk about how they were the only ones left to carry out Kaname's dream of peace…but without Kaname around, it was just too hard to care. Stopping vampires from wantonly killing humans was as far as she cared to go.

Aido waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, so we're taking care of these guys tonight? Who's all going?"

"Me, Kain, and you," Takuma answered. "Along with Seiren as soon as she comes back and tells us where this group is meeting tonight. They're always changing their meeting location to different abandoned mansions formally owned by important vampires."

They discussed a few more specifics of the plan until Seiren showed up and relayed the current location of the group.

Aido's boots smacked the floor as he sat up straight. "They're _where?_ "

~.~

"The Aido's sure liked to live ostentatiously," Maru said, hands on his hips as he gazed at the gold molding around the ceiling.

"And this is different from the other mansions we've stayed in how, exactly?" Akane asked, red lips pursed in a pout as though she expected a photographer to come along at any moment and take her picture. "You look like a hick gawking at everything. Please stop before you make yourself look even worse than you do."

Maru scowled at her.

"Calm down, both of you," Kyo advised, lounging on the couch. "You'll get used to this extravagance once we rule. In the meantime, try not to argue over such petty things, will you? We have far more important things to discuss."

"Who cares about that right now?" Naru, Maru's twin sister groaned, a hand on her stomach. "I'm starving, which is the problem of staying at abandoned mansions. There's no food. When are those D vampires going to get back with humans for us to snack on?" She paused and sniffed while Akane rolled her eyes. "Oh! I smell humans, they must be here."

"Wait," Masato said, holding one arm out. "I don't smell the Level Ds."

Naru was telling Masato to stop being stupid and get out of her way when the door was kicked down and a shot from Bloody Rose hit her stomach. She cried out, curling in on herself.

"Naru!" Maru yelled. Almost as though his yell were a signal, the rest of the vampires sprang into action, lunging towards the three hunters.

~.~

Yuki rolled along the floor, grappling with a female vampire with red painted lips. The vampire bared her teeth and tried to bit Yuki's neck. Yuki shoved Artemis up and the vampire bit down on the hunter weapon. She shrieked and reared back, blood dribbling from her mouth.

"You wretch!" She cried, her speech slurred from the attack. "You'll pay for that!"

In the midst of the melee, a crash was heard from the front door and a voice exclaimed, "You bastards, this mansion isn't abandoned, it's mine!"

Yuki and the vampire she was fighting looked over to see Aido standing in the doorway, his curls wilder than ever and his expression indignant. Behind him stood Kain, Takuma, and Seiren. Kain had one hand over his face as he shook his head.

"Oh," Takuma said, popping his head around Aido. "I see the hunters had the same idea we did. Well then, I guess we'll just have to share."

"No thanks," Kaito declined in a deadpan voice, taking on the injured Naru and her brother Maru. "We don't need any help."

"This is my house!" Aido declared, stomping one foot. " _I_ get to decide who fights here and who doesn't, and I say this is _our_ fight." He was, unsurprisingly, ignored by everyone. He folded his arms and puffed out his cheeks, muttering about disrespectful home invaders.

"Just shut up and go to work," Kain said with a sigh. He snapped his fingers and Naru, currently laying on the ground, burst into flame.

"Hey!" Aido cried. "That's my floor you're lighting on fire!" Throwing his own power forward, Aido froze the fire and the girl. However, the heat of the fire had already weakened the floor so much that the added weight of his ice caused the floor to crack.

Wooden boards clattered down to the basement below and Aido whimpered at the damage to his childhood home. Then he remembered just what lied below the first floor. With a curse, Aido lunged forward and dragged the frozen vampire away from the hole before she could fall into it and possibly damage the precious treasure that lay below.

He breathed a sigh of relief, then sprang up again when he realized Yuki and the vampire she was fighting were rolling toward the floor. "Hey, watch where you're going!" He yelled, not wanting to get involved in the fight, but not wanting them to see or harm what the basement held.

He was momentarily distracted when he smelled familiar blood. The vampire had sliced open Yuki's arm with her nails and she was bleeding all over the floor. They rolled over again, with the vampire on top trying to force Yuki down the hole. Copious amounts of Yuki's blood dripped down the hole. Even as Aido regretted the waste (Yuki had such delicious blood) he wondered if losing all that blood would make her light-headed.

"Aido, look out!" Kain called.

Aido looked up, but the attack came from behind. Aido was momentarily confused, thinking there were only supposed to be five vampires, then he remembered Takuma's warning that there might be Level D vampires. With a noise of irritation, Aido threw the vampire off his back, then felt his neck. The minion had bitten him! Him, Hanabuso Aido! Of all the nerve.

Turning to freeze the vampire, he blinked in surprise to realize he was already gone, running up the stairs along with everyone else.

It seemed the enemy vampires had called a retreat and everyone was chasing after them. Aido was about to join them when his eyes went to the hole. He immediately covered it in a thick layer of ice to prevent any more mishaps. Again, Aido took a step toward the stairs, then his eyes when to the ice-covered hole. What if something had happened? What if the treasure had been damaged somehow?

Knowing the enemy vampires would be handled just fine by the others, Aido hurried to the basement.

~.~

Zero cursed as one of the Level D vampires jumped onto his back and dug fangs into his shoulder. Pointing Bloody Rose behind him, he fired, then cursed again as the vampire ripped a chunk of his shoulder out before falling to the roof of the mansion.

The chaos of the three different factions fighting continued. Zero couldn't tell how many were dead and how many had escaped. He knew some of the Level D vampires had died, but wasn't positive any of the Level B vampires from the group they were chasing lay among the dead.

A movement at the edge of the roof caught Zero's eyes. It was the vampire who'd called the retreat. Since the others immediately followed him, either they'd all been thinking it was time to run, or he was their leader. Zero took off toward the vampire, leaping off the edge of the roof to follow him.

~.~

Takuma had just dusted one of the women of the group when he heard Kaito scream, "Yuki!" He looked up in time to see Yuki rolling off the edge of the three-story mansion, the vampire she was grappling with just managing to remain on the roof.

"Yuki!" Takuma yelled, running to the edge. He was barely aware of Kaito finishing off the vampire, or of Seiren killing the rest of the D vampires. He looked over the edge, his breath coming fast. It was a moonless night and too dark for even his eyes to see the ground, though he still searched desperately for a small, broken figure.

"Takuma," Kain said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. "She's human, she couldn't have survived that fall.

Takuma turned to give Kain a helpless look, then noticed his friend clutching his side. Blood seeped from between Kain's fingers.

"We need to go," Kain said, throwing an uneasy look at Kaito. The vampire hunter looked around at the carnage on the roof with merciless eyes. "I'm sorry about Yuki, but there's nothing you can do for her now. It's best that we leave now."

As much as Takuma wanted to argue, he knew Kain was right. A ridiculous part of him wanted to verify that Yuki, his only ally in hoping for peace between humans and vampires, was really dead, but he knew that thought was foolish. Of course she was dead. They should leave before the remaining hunters decided to take out their anger on them.

He looked around the roof, noticing that one of their number was missing. "You're right," he said with a nod. "Let's find Aido and go."

~.~

Aido crept into the basement. He felt silly for creeping, but it felt wrong to just stroll down there. He reached the room beneath the upstairs living room and cursed. A few floorboards lay on top of the still form of Kaname and dust covered his clothing. It was practically sacrilege.

Aido hurried forward. He should have put Kaname in a more secure location. He should have covered him to protect him from any mishaps. As he carefully removed the boards, he realized something else had gotten on Kaname as well. Yuki's blood covered his face.

Aido looked around for something to clean Kaname with. He was too panicked and upset to think of just going to the nearest bathroom and wetting a towel. Deciding to use his jacket sleeve, he turned back to Kaname only to find that the blood was gone. He blinked in disbelief, then looked to the side of Kaname's face as though the blood might have simply slid off.

Scratching the back of his head, Aido studied his former leader. He was pretty sure he hadn't imagined the blood. He could still smell it. Had it somehow been absorbed into Kaname's body? Aido's heart leapt hopefully. That was a good sign, wasn't it? That Kaname's body was absorbing blood?

Before he could get too excited, Aido told himself to stop believing in impossible things. Takuma had already told him it would be at least centuries before Kaname awakened again.

Shoulders slumped in disappointment, Aido reached down to brush the dust off Kaname's clothes. Before he could touch the still form, a hand suddenly gripped his wrist in an iron vice.


	5. Awakening

**Chapter 5: Awakening**

A hand gripped Aido's in a vice-like grip. Aido slowly followed the hand to its owner's face and saw Kaname's glowing red eyes fixed on him.

Aido gasped, but before he could do more, Kaname's fangs were in his neck. He winced, surprised at the quick, sharp pain, though he was in such shock he barely felt it.

Kaname was awake. Kaname was _alive._ Kaname was BACK! Kaname was also drinking his blood, something Aido certainly never expected to happen. The thought crossed his mind that he needed to remember to brag to Ruka about this, then everything went black.

~.~

"Honestly, where has Aido gone?" Takuma asked, surveying the demolished living room with his hands on his hips. A coffee table lay in splinters while stuffing from couches littered the floor. A chandelier lay on the ground, leaving a cracked ceiling leaking insulation. There were also bits of charred and frozen carpet from Kain's and Aido's attacks.

Kain sniffed as he clutched at the wound on his side. "I think I smell Aido's blood," he said weakly. "It's coming from that direction." He gestured with his head.

Takuam's pout instantly changed to a concerned look. "Maybe he got hurt without us noticing and had to leave the fight." He hurried in the direction Kain had gestured toward, opening a door to find a set of stairs. He suppressed an annoyed sigh. Had Aido left the fight just to go stare at Kaname's still form? It sounded like something he'd do.

He kept his mind focused on Aido, grateful for the distraction from Yuki's fate. He'd known of Yuki from the time Kaname came to live with his family and been fond of the young human for Kaname's sake. After Kaname's death, Yuki had been the only one in his life who'd staunchly agreed with his desire for peace between humans and vampires. The two may not have been close friends, but Yuki's presence in his life had been a comforting one that he'd appreciated. For her to die so young…for the human girl who'd meant so much to Kaname to be gone forever…it wasn't something he wanted to think about.

Seiren and Kain followed along behind him, and were stuck on the stairway when Takuma froze at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is it, Takuma?" Kain asked. "Why'd you stop?"

Takuma's heart pounded at the sight of a passed out Aido laying half on top of Kaname's form. Kain didn't need to see this, but it was too late. As soon as Takuma saw how injured Kain was, he should have had Seiren take him back to his mansion.

Takuma turned to give Kain an unconvincing smile, "Oh, it's nothing. It looks like your cousin may have passed out from blood loss, that's all." At least, Takuma _hoped_ that was all. He rushed to Aido side, lifting him off Kaname and checking him over as he laid him on the floor. What he found made Takuma relax.

"Aido's fine," he told the worried Kain. Seiren looked as impassive as ever. "It's just blood loss. He'll be fine." He looked back down at his friend and frowned. The only wound he could find was two puncture holes in Aido's neck. Because of Aido's ice power, a vampire would have to be very good to get close enough to bite him. Takuma hadn't seen any of the vampires get close enough to bite Aido, but he'd been busy with his own fight. And it hadn't seemed like enough time passed for a vampire to drink enough blood to cause Aido to pass out…Takuma shook those thoughts off. It didn't matter how this happened. Aido and Kain both needed to be taken care of. That was what mattered at the moment.

~.~

Aido moaned and pulled the covers tighter around him. Why did he feel so light-headed?

"Aido?" Takuma's voice, filled with relief, asked.

Aido moaned again, pulling the blanket over his head. "Go away," he said. It was probably Takuma waking him up during the day _again_. What kind of a vampire _wanted_ to be up when the sun was up? It was unnatural.

"Aido," Takuma's voice again, a little more insistent this time. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" Aido grumbled. Then he remembered what he'd last been doing. He gasped and sat up, letting his blanket drop. He looked frantically around the room, but failed to see who he longed for the most. Takuma sat on the edge of his bed, a concerned look on his face. Kain sat on his bed a few feet away, a large bandage on his side and Ruka sitting next to him. Shiki and Rima stood by the door.

"Where's Kaname?" Aido demanded, looking between each of their faces. "Is he downstairs? Or in a room resting? He probably needs more blood, did you give it to him?"

The rest of the vampires in the room exchanged confused looks.

"It sounds like you were dreaming," Takuma said gently, laying a hand on Aido's shoulder. "We were fighting the aristocrats who want to be the new Senate and rule over vampires, remember? We were at your mansion and you got hurt, then went to the basement. It was probably seeing Kaname that made you dream of him. You've been out for almost twenty-four hours."

Aido stared at Takuma like he was an idiot. "Me? Get hurt by those idiots? You must be joking. I went downstairs because Kain burned a hole in the floor." He threw an irritated look at his cousin, who gave him a helpless, guilty look. "Kaname was right beneath the hole, so I went down to check on him and make sure he was all right. And then he…he…" Aido blushed and grabbed his neck, then threw a triumphant look at Ruka. "And then Kaname woke up and bit me!"

"That's a lie!" Ruka declared, jumping to her feet. Her face flushed. "I mean, that's impossible. Takuma told us that Kaname will sleep for centuries. He's lost to us." Her eyes filled with pain. "You shouldn't make up such stories." Kain reached out and tried to take her hand, but she moved it away, wrapping her arms around herself.

"He probably hallucinated due to blood loss," Rima said.

"Or from self-aggrandizement," Shiki added. "He does suffer from that."

"Why would I make this up?" Aido asked in irritation. "Does no one see these gaping bite wounds on my neck?" He winced as he pulled off the bandage on his neck. "You think some conniving aristocrat vampire could get their fangs into me?" He didn't mention the fact that one of the Level D vampires had also bitten him. He folded his arms and looked mutinous. "I didn't realize you all had such a low opinion of me, but I promise you, _they couldn't_. _"_

"Why don't you tell us everything that happened?" Kain suggested, forestalling any further arguing.

"I already told you," Aido pouted. "I thought some of the floor fell onto Kaname, so I wanted to make sure he was okay." His brow furrowed as he thought. "When I went down there, I thought there was some blood on his face from the fighting above." He also didn't mention that it had been Yuki's blood. Somehow, he found himself not wanting to. It made it sound like Yuki, that traitorous human, was somehow responsible for Kaname, the great pureblood, waking up. Such a thing was impossible, of course. "I looked away for just a moment for something to wipe the blood away with, but when I looked back, the blood was gone, like it had been absorbed. Then I went to clean the dust from the broken ceiling off him, and then he woke up and drank my blood." He put his hand to his neck again, remembering the feeling and the shock of realizing that Kaname, _the Kaname,_ was drinking his blood.

Everyone still looked skeptical. "That's what happened!" Aido whined, slamming his fists onto his legs. "Kaname is awake somehow and you guys just left him there. You can think whatever you want to, but I know the truth and I'm going back."

"You're not in any state to go off on your own," Takuma argued, trying to force Aido back into bed.

"You. Can't. Stop. Me," Aido ground out, wrestling against Takuma.

Kain sighed at the spectacle. "You know Aido better than that, Takuma. Until he proves that he's right, he's not going to rest. We may as well go back to his mansion and get this all sorted out." He winced, holding onto his side as he stood.

"Kain," Ruka said, hurrying to his side. "You should stay here."

Kain looked down into her pain filled eyes. Though she was concerned for him, Kain knew the pain wasn't about him. The pain was because Kaname had been brought up. She still adored the pureblood as much as ever and was no closer to moving past him now that he was dead then she'd been when he was alive and completely uninterested in hr. He knew she desperately wanted to believe Aido's story, but didn't dare. He was surprised at the sharp pain it sent through his chest. It wasn't as though that hadn't been the story of his whole life. Why would anything be different now? Kain was as invisible to Ruka as he'd always been.

"Well," Aido declared, folding his arms, "whatever you decide, we need to bring plenty of blood for Kaname. After being asleep for three years, he's very hungry."

Ruka glared at him, angry for Aido talking like they'd arrive at the mansion and find Kaname sitting and waiting for them. However, she said nothing in return.

"I'll get some blood tablets and bottled water," Shiki offered, leaving the room. Rima wandered off after him.

~.~

"This is ridiculous," Ruka griped as she, Shiki, Rima, Aido, and Takuma walked into the Aido mansion. They would have invited Seiren along, but didn't know where she was. She tended to keep to herself unless she knew she was needed. "I can't believe we're acting as though Aido's fantasies might actually be real."

"I know you're jealous, Ruka, but try to keep it to yourself," Aido said airily, then turned to her. "And if you really think my story is so fantastical, why are you here?"

She flushed and glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't have to come, you know," he said, then made a shooing motion with his hands. "Go on, wait outside. This is my mansion. I don't want any doubters with me. _Kaname_ won't want any doubters."

"I just want to see him," Ruka declared, which was certainly true, but not what she was hoping for, _dreaming_ for. If Kaname had truly somehow awakened…If anyone could do so against all odds, surely it was Kaname Kuran. "You said he got dirty from the broken ceiling and you passed out before cleaning him off. I want to make sure he's properly taken care of."

Aido rolled his eyes and led them all downstairs. When they reached the basement, they moved quietly, reverently, as though they were in a graveyard.

"He's still lying there," Takuma whispered, then wondered why he was whispering. "And there's no blood on him from drinking your blood."

"I told you, I saw him _absorb_ blood. Maybe it's something he's able to do as a pureblood who's starving."

"Actually, you said you _didn't_ see him absorb the blood," Shiki pointed out. "Whatever occurred happened while you weren't watching."

They stood in an awkward semi-circle around the sleeping Kaname. He looked the same as he had when they'd laid him there three years ago. Beautiful, but unmoving.

"We should at least clean the dust off," Ruka said softly, reaching a hand toward Kaname's chest. Despite herself, she was disappointed. She knew, she _knew_ that Aido had to be wrong, and yet she'd _desperately_ hoped it was the truth, that Kaname had somehow come back to them.

"Wait," Aido said, grasping Ruka's hand and pulling it back. "We should offer him blood first."

"What, you want us to force this down his throat?" Shiki asked, holding up two bottled waters, now red from the blood tablets.

"Or maybe we should just put it on his skin and see if he absorbs it," Rima suggested sarcastically, holding up the two bottles she held.

Aido made an irritated sound. "No, we should offer him fresh blood." He grabbed Takuma and sliced the older vampire's neck with his nail, then held him over Kaname's face.

"Hey!" Takuma protested. "That was rude!" They all waited and for moments, nothing happened. Then, a drop of Takuam's blood slowly dripped from his neck to splash on Kaname's face. Red eyes snapped open and Kaname clutched Takuma to him, biting into his neck.

Rima and Ruka shrieked, both jumping back in surprise. Shiki wrapped protective arms around Rima.

Takuma's eyes were wide in surprise, his heart pounding in shock. Kaname _was_ awake! How? Why? It didn't make sense to him, but Takuma was careful to stay still for several moments before saying, "Hand me one of the bottles, Shiki."

Shiki handed one over. Takuma extracted himself from Kaname's grip with great difficulty, before pushing the bottle into Kaname's hands. Kaname obligingly tipped his head back and drained the bottle.

Takuma was in shock as he watched his friend drink the first bottle, then the rest, handed to him by Shiki. It seemed unreal. Absolutely unreal. Maybe Takuma was actually the one who'd passed out from blood loss after the battle and was now dreaming.

After Kaname finished the last bottle, Ruka stepped forward. "Kaname, if you still need—"

"Yuki," Kaname said, as though he hadn't heard Ruka, his eye focused on Takuma. Ruka flinched as though she'd been slapped. "Where is Yuki?"

Takuma's mouth opened, but nothing came out. He felt sick. Losing Yuki had been bad enough, but he'd _never_ expected to have to explain her death to Kaname. To explain to his best friend how he'd stood off to the side and failed to save the life of the woman who meant everything to him.

"Tch," Aido said, turning his nose up. "She's a traitor. After you died she—"

"Quiet, Aido," Takuma ordered.

Aido blinked in surprise, then curled his hands into fists. "What? She is! After all Kaname did for she—"

"Where is she?" Kaname asked, turning his gaze to Aido.

Aido flinched under the penetrating gaze. Kaname's eyes still glowed red and looked like they would rend Aido's soul from his very body if he didn't answer him. "She's at—"

 _"_ _Shut-up, Aido!"_ Takuma snarled through gritted teeth.

Aido would have complained about being interrupted for the third time in a row if not for Takuma's tone. He'd never heard his friend talk like that.

Kaname switched his gaze back to Takuma, swinging his legs off the dais he lay upon. "Tell me where Yuki is, Takuma."

Takuma stared into his best friend's eyes, his own filled with infinite sadness. "She's dead, Kaname," he said quietly. "She died last night."

Aido stared at Takuma in shock, his blood running cold. Yuki? Dead? She'd been fine the last time he'd seen her. He remembered her grappling on the floor with a female vampire, holding her own just fine. How had she died? When? A movement brought Aido out of his thoughts. Kaname had shifted, though his gaze was unreadable. Still, something about the manner of the pureblood made his heart pound.

"We should go, Kaname," Takuma said gently. "You still need looking after and there is much else to be done now that you're back."

Kaname tilted his head, considering Takuma. Then, the walls and ceiling around them ruptured.

 **A/N:** I like to end on cliffhangers J


	6. Yuki's Fate

**A/N:** Weekend's generally provide good writing time :)

 **Chapter 6: Yuki's Fate**

 _24 Hours Ago_

Yuki grappled along the roof with the female vampire. She wished she'd had time to staunch the flow of blood from her arm as she'd followed the vampires to the roof, but to take that time would have been to let the vampires get away. She couldn't tell if the smell of her blood helped or her hurt in the fight. It seemed to both distract her opponent, and to make her more frenzied.

"Stupid human," the vampire growled, her long hair spilling around Yuki's face. "This is none of your concern."

"As long as you're targeting Level D vampires and turning them Level E it is," Yuki argued, bashing her head against the vampire's.

The vampire hissed and pulled back. "Rotten girl! Don't you at least have any decorum?"

They rolled around, both trying to get the upper hand. Yuki had lost Artemis at some point, but if she could get her opponent into the right position, Taicho or Zero would have a clear shot.

A triumphant smile lit the vampire's face as she looked at something beyond Yuki. Craning her neck, Yuki saw the edge of the roof.

"Bye-bye, little girl," the vampire huffed, rolling one last time to toss Yuki over the side.

~.~

Zero fired and the vampire leader put a hand to his side, eyes wide like he couldn't believe he'd been shot. Zero cursed at his poor aim. He'd stumbled over a loose rock at the exact wrong moment.

Clearing his mind, Zero breathed deeply and took aim again. The vampire, face tight with pain, smirked and pointed at something above and behind Zero. "You might want to attend to your own before trying to finish me off, hunter."

Half of Zero felt sure the vampire's words were a trap, but the other half screamed that Yuki was in danger and needed him. Risking a glance, he saw a small form tumbling down from three stories up. He raced toward the figure, blind and deaf to everything else going on around him. The figure, which he could now make out as Yuki, was only feet from the ground when he lunged forward, catching her and dropping into a roll to absorb the impact.

He kept his arms wrapped tight around her, trying to protect her small form. There was a sickening crack as they came to rest against the base of a marble statue. Yuki had hit her head.

"Yuki!" Zero exclaimed, shaking her shoulder. He winced at the new pain in his shoulder from his recent acrobatics. The Level D vampire had more ravaged his shoulder than bit it. When he wondered how much blood he'd lost, he realized he could smell Yuki's blood. Instantly, his throat was parched. Before he took note of what he was doing, his head was lowering toward her neck.

He bit off a curse as he came to himself. Yuki was hurt. She was limp and unmoving. Placing two fingers on her neck, he felt a pulse beating against him. It was weak, but steady. His shoulders slumped in relief.

"Hey!" Taicho called out, walking toward them, Artemis in one hand. His eyes filled with relief when he spotted Yuki. "You caught her?"

Zero nodded and stood up. "She needs medical attention though. Wrap up her arm and I'll drive us back to the Association." He didn't trust himself so near Yuki's blood when he'd lost so much of his own.

"Looks like you need medical attention too," Taicho said, eyeing Zero's shoulder.

Zero covered the shoulder with one hand and waved him off. "I'll be fine. Just get her wrapped up, then we can both get help back at the Association."

~.~

Zero, shoulder now bandaged, sat on a chair at Yuki's bedside. She had a bad concussion, which meant she should be kept awake. Only problem was, they couldn't get her to wake up. The Association doctor guessed it was a combination of the hit on the head and the blood loss. It had taken an effort not to grab the doctor's coat and shake more answers out of him. Zero didn't want guesses, he wanted concrete answers. Yuki was hurt and he needed to know what to do to help her.

She looked so vulnerable lying there with her skin pale. Yuki was so lively and loud that Zero sometimes forgot how small she was. Seeing her like this, Zero wanted to demand that she give up vampire hunting. He hated the thought of her being in danger, hated seeing her like this. It was nearly unbearable. After everything Yuki had done for him, he wanted to protect her, he wanted her safe. Why did she have to demand to be involved in everything?

Zero sighed and leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the ceiling. He knew he was being unfair. Yuki was a good hunter, and one that he trusted. That didn't stop him from wishing she'd go off and have a normal and happy life. She deserved it.

Why did she insist sticking around him and the Hunter Association? If it was just the Association, it would be one thing, but he knew part of the reason was because he was there. He wished she wouldn't do things like that. It gave him hope he didn't want to have. Hope that maybe she'd forgotten Kuran, hope that maybe some part of her returned his unspoken feelings, but he doubted both things. She had been utterly in love with Kuran for as long as he'd known her, and she'd always treated Zero like a little brother despite the fact that he was a year older than her. That thought brought a smile to his face. Even now, she still tried to take care of him, making sure he ate enough and that he had suitable clothing.

He looked back down at her. The doctor had given her some blood to replace what she'd lost. The doctor claimed Yuki probably hadn't lost enough to need to need a transfusion, but Zero had insisted. He wasn't taking any chances.

~.~

Yuki awoke to her heart pounding and her head aching. Tentatively touching her head, she felt around until she found a large bump on the side of her head. She winced at the touch, but was grateful to be feeling anything at all since the last thing she remembered was tumbling off the side of a roof.

She put a hand to her racing heart, telling herself to calm down. She was safe now. Or, most likely safe since she was still alive. Looking around, she realized she was in her bed at the Association dorms. Some hunters had apartments and homes outside the Association, but many didn't bother. For one, they were always being sent off on hunting assignments anyway. For another, plenty of vampire hunters made hunting their whole life, with few family and friends to distract them from their duty and life's work.

Zero and Taicho must have brought her back. Zero would probably yell at her for being too careless as soon as he learned she was awake. She never should have lost Artemis during the fight. A hunter's weapon was their best defense in a fight against a vampire.

Carefully, she rolled over to look at the alarm clock on her bedside table. She blinked in surprise when she saw that next to the table sat Zero, his eyes closed and his chin resting on his chest. Even asleep, his brow was wrinkled with worry. She suppressed a sigh at the sight. Zero couldn't relax even in his sleep. He was going to drive himself into an early grave with all his worrying and his neglect of himself. Yuki was sure he wouldn't even eat regularly if she didn't harass him about it.

Speaking of not taking care of himself…it had been a while since Zero had taken her blood. He could handle the blood tablets now, but they'd found it was best if Zero still occasionally drank from her. Drinking her blood seemed to stave off Zero losing control. Yuki didn't know if it was because it was healthier for a Level D to drink a human's blood or what, but she was grateful for it.

She bit her lip as she debated whether she should wake Zero up and ask him about it. It was so rare for him to get the sleep he needed that she hated to wake him up.

The decision was taken out of her hands as Zero jerked away, blinking sleepily at her.

"Yuki," he said, moving closer, though not touching her. "How do you feel?"

"Okay," she answered with a shrug, then winced as the movement made her head throb. "Other than my head, anyway." She carefully touched the bump.

"I'll get some ice and pain medicine for you," Zero offered, standing and stretching. He stayed staring down at her for a few moments. "Are you sure you're okay other than that?"

"I feel fine enough," Yuki answered, then remembered that the vampire she'd fought had sliced open her arm. She looked down to see it bandaged. Now that she was thinking about it, her arm started to burn, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle and the pain medication would help with that too.

"Thank you for saving me," Yuki told Zero, staring into his eyes. She wished that the reverse could happen a few times and she could be the one to save Zero. Why was she always needing to be saved, even now when she knew how to fight? It was annoying. It made her feel like a helpless little girl.

Zero returned soon with a glass of water, an ice pack, and pills. "You need to stay up for the next couple of hours, just to make sure you're okay. You got a bad concussion. I caught you when you fell, but you hit your head against a statue." He muttered something about obnoxious vampires insisting on displaying wealth with ostentatious and useless trinkets.

"Okay," Yuki said with a nod, then quickly stopped. She needed to remember to be more careful. She took the medicine and held the ice pack to the side of her head as she watched Zero settle into his chair. It appeared he planned to stay and ensure she didn't sleep. Of course he wouldn't trust her to accomplish even that much on her own.

She continued to sneak peeks at him until he demanded, "What?"

"Um…" Blood was always a touchy subject to bring up, and it always had to be Yuki. Zero would never ask for Yuki's blood. If he ever did, she would know something was desperately wrong with him and it was an emergency. "I was just thinking that it's been a while since you've drank my blood and you got hurt tonight, so…"

His eyes glowed red at the mention of her blood, but he closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were his normal gray. He looked at her half-compassionately, half like she was an idiot. Only Zero could pull off such a look. "You're hurt. I'm not going to take your blood now."

"It's just my head," she argued. And her arm, which, come to think of it, may mean she'd lost a fair amount of blood while fighting. Perhaps she shouldn't be offering up her blood…

"I don't want you to wait too long," she said gently. "You never come to me and ask for more, Zero. I don't mind, I promise I don't." He looked away. She knew that even after all this time, he still minded. He'd more or less come to accept the fact that he was a vampire and used his abilities to his advantage as a hunter. Being a vampire seemed to only have crystalized his determination to support the Hunter Association and put a stop to dangerous vampires. Admittedly, he considered all vampires to be dangerous.

"I'll wait until your better," he said, looking at her again. "Once your concussion heals, okay? And you won't be doing _any_ work until that point. You're going to take the time to rest."

"You promise?" Yuki asked, holding his gaze. "About drinking my blood?"

"Yeah," he nodded once, then stood up. "I have paperwork to fill out over last night's fight."

"Did we get them all?" Yuki asked, realizing she had no idea how the fight turned out.

Zero hesitated a moment. "Everyone except the leader. He got away."


	7. Despair

**A/N:** I'm going on vacation soon, so I'm not sure what updates will look like for the next two weeks, but I'll update if I can.

 **Chapter 7: Despair**

The Night Class sat around the living room of Ichigo mansion, quiet and dejected.

Each of them felt they should be celebrating. A miracle had happened. Kaname Kuran, their leader, the man they'd trusted and followed with devotion for years had returned. Everything could be all right now. Kaname could take his rightful position as king of the vampires and they could return to the former Golden Age that happened the last time the Kurans ruled the vampires. Under their reign, vampires had flourished like never before. Many vampires were saddened and angered when the Kurans decided to step down from the throne and turn power over to a senate.

However, instead of readying vampire society for Kaname's triumphant return, instead of forming plans for how the new government would look and what role they would each take, they sat in silence in Takuma's living room.

After the revelation that Yuki was dead and Kaname's subsequent demolishment of Aido mansion's basement, which caused most of the structure to collapse, Kaname had simply walked away without a word. No one knew where he'd gone.

"Maybe he'll be back," Aido said, breaking the silence. "He just needs to process what happened, that's all. Once Kaname calms down, he'll come looking for us."

No one responded. Takuma wanted to believe that Aido was right, but he had his doubts. Then again, he knew things the others didn't. They still believed that Kaname had been exactly what he'd said he was, the child of Haruka and Juri Kuran. Though he didn't know the whole story, not by a long shot, Takuma had done enough research and heard enough rumors from the Hunter Association to know that Kaname had been more than he'd seemed.

A young pureblood could not have sacrificed their heart to the hunter's furnace and still lived. A sacrifice from a young pureblood might not have even helped the furnace that much. No, Kaname must be far, far older than what the son of Juri and Haruka should be. What Takuma had surmised was that Kaname had been in a slumber and Rido Kuran had awakened him, hoping to use him for his own purposes. That plan then went awry, leaving Kaname in the care of Rido's married siblings.

None of that related much to why Takuma thought Kaname wouldn't be back, though. All vampires knew what happened to immortal vampires after too much time had passed. They grew tired of their existences and committed suicide. The fact that Kaname had been asleep rather than dead suggested that he might be one of the original vampires, and had been unable to find a way to commit suicide. The thought sent chills up Takuma's spine, though it answered certain questions about Kaname's abilities. Still, this old and powerful being, tired of his existence and forcefully awakened, had somehow found a light, somehow found a reason for living in the form of a human girl.

Looking back, Takuma realized that a great deal of what Kaname had done had been for the sake of Yuki, for the sake of protecting and looking after her. He couldn't imagine how much agony it caused his friend to make the decision to leave Yuki's side and sacrifice his heart. Had it always been Kaname's plan and then he'd considered waylaying it for Yuki's sake? To live out Yuki's life with her, and then give his heart away? Perhaps he'd decided that his plan was too selfish, or that he wouldn't have the strength not to turn Yuki into a vampire, or that being by his side would put Yuki in too much danger.

And now, Kaname had been awakened once again, though Takuma couldn't imagine how, and this time he'd awoken to learn that the light of his life had been snuffed out. Only a pureblood who'd lived thousands of years could hope to understand what Kaname was feeling right now, though Takuma thought even they would struggle to understand the depth of Kaname's pain.

 _Original vampire._ The word beat like a mantra inside Takuam's brain. How had he never known? How had he never picked up on it? Regardless, Takuma was sure that Kaname had no intention of leading vampire kind. Still, perhaps he would give the Night Class his support in them creating a new Senate. It would be easy for Kaname to do that and lend them the credence they needed. If Kaname backed them, few would question them. There would still be problems, of course, setting up a new government was never easy, but it would finally be possible.

"Why is he so obsessed with a human girl?!" Ruka burst out, beating her thighs with her fists. "Even now with her being dead…"

"Ruka," Kain chastised lightly. "Kaname's decisions are his own affair."

"But why?" Ruka cried. "He's a pureblood, he should be thinking about vampire kind, not his own desires. What could some silly human possibly have had to offer him?"

"You sound like the sycophant Senate who always tried to use Kaname," Aido said coldly.

Given Aido's attitude toward Yuki, Takuma was a little surprised, though he felt the same way. With his grandfather leading the Senate and Kaname living at his home, he'd seen and heard how the Senate treated Kaname. They'd felt he belonged to them, like a possession who should serve them. They'd probably been secretly happy about the death of Haruka and Juri since it put Kaname more in their control.

Ruka flinched and went silent.

"Let's…give Kaname time, like Aido said," Takuma told them. He didn't tell them he was sure Kaname would refuse to become king of the vampires. They didn't need to hear that right now, and Takuma was genuinely hopeful that Kaname would offer them his support. "He's received a lot of shocks for one day. We can't expect him to just wake up and be normal after sacrificing himself and expecting to slumber for centuries."

Rima and Shiki gave slight nods of their heads. Aido looked more hopeful. Ruka stared morosely at her lap and Kain stared morosely at her. Seiren still hadn't returned from before the time they left and still knew nothing of what had transpired. Takuma feared that the moment she found out about Kaname's return, she would abandon the Night Class to once again walk by Kaname's side as his constant guard.

~.~

Kaname didn't know how many hours he stood outside the empty Kuran mansion. Long enough for the sun to rise and fall, causing him to seek shelter among the shade of the trees in the yard.

He wasn't sure what exactly had brought him here. Probably because it was the place he'd lived with Yuki. The place where, for a very small amount of time, he'd known true joy, true happiness. He hadn't even thought such things were possible, not for someone like him. Now that joy was gone, something to never be recaptured. How he wished he was capable of dying.

That thought seemed to be too much for him and he dropped to the ground, his movements as unconsciously graceful as ever as he leaned his back against one of the trees that had provided him with shade.

The shock of Yuki's death still didn't feel like it had really sunk in, though it had been two days. Or maybe three. His mind wasn't functioning well enough to keep track of something so paltry as time. It didn't matter anyway. Every day without Yuki was a bleak eternity. He'd thought he'd felt that way years ago when he was unable to see her for weeks at a time. How foolish he'd been. At least he'd known that she was safe and happy. Such reassurances would never exist again.

Abruptly, he slammed one fist into the tree closest to the one he was lying against. A large hole appeared in the side and tree wavered for a moment, as though unsure of which direction to fall before crashing to the ground. Kaname's eyes glowed red as he unleashed his powers. Or, more accurately, stopped concentrating on keeping them under control. The trees nearest him dissolved into splinters and fell to the ground in a cloud of dust.

At that point, Kaname stopped himself. The yard had meant so much to Haruka. She'd specifically created a garden that would look beautiful in the moonlight. Him taking out his rage on it would not bring Yuki back. Still, he didn't know what else to do. He didn't even get to take vengeance on Yuki's murderer. Takuma told him a hunter had already done so. It crossed his mind to kill the hunter for robbing him of his vengeance, but what was the point? It felt like nothing had a point any more.

He moved his foot and it brushed against the bag he'd dropped next to his sitting place hours ago. He stared at the bag, but made no move toward it. Before coming to the Kuran mansion he'd stopped by the old Night Class building. It still stood, untouched and unused, as though waiting for the Night Class to return. He'd grabbed the only things that had truly mattered to him in that room, his collection of Yuki pictures. Throughout the years, Cross had periodically sent him pictures of Yuki. Yuki in a new dress, on her first day of school, trying cake for the first time she could remember. Cross took a ridiculous amount of photos, but Kaname had been grateful for them then and now.

However, he couldn't bring himself to look at the pictures. Not yet. It crossed his mind that there were more pictures of Yuki inside the mansion. Pictures of her with him, with Juri, and with Haruka. He wanted to add those pictures to the one in his bag, though didn't know how long it would be before he could bear to look at them.

His gaze moved to the house, but still he didn't move.

It was several hours later that he felt a presence behind him. He didn't bother turning to look.

"There's no point in you being here, Seiren. I know the others wish for me to become king, but I have no intention of doing so. I never desired to be king." He hadn't wanted to be king of vampires the first time he'd done it and he certainly didn't plan to take up the title again.

Seiren's presence felt the same as always, quiet and patiently waiting. He could picture her, bowed on one knee with her head lowered. Then he felt a hitch in her breath, as though she were hesitating. "The vampire world has been in chaos since the demise of the Senate."

"Has it?" He asked in a disinterested tone. Beyond desiring for Kaname to be king, some undoubtedly thought he owed them for demolishing their previous form of government. He couldn't find it in himself to care. Since the former members of the Night Class appeared to have been unable to form order out of chaos, Kaname was surprised that none of the purebloods had stepped in to try and take control. He'd provided the perfect opportunity, though not intentionally. His only concern had been protecting Yuki. Perhaps some of the purebloods _were_ working behind the scenes, but had not yet made any obvious moves. Purebloods, after all, could afford to play the long game.

He and Seiren sat in silence for a few moments before she broke it. "I made an oath to serve you. Regardless of what you plan to do with yourself, I intend to fulfill that oath."

Kaname wondered if she hoped he'd change his mind and choose to rule over the vampires. Any way you looked at it, he _was_ the most qualified. The most powerful, the most experienced, the most respected…not that any of that mattered in the slightest to him. He wished the rest of the world would go on pretending he was dead.

"Do as you wish."


	8. Rumors

**A/N:** I'm back! And will hopefully return to the schedule of at least one update per week. Thank you to all those anxiously awaiting each update J

 **Chapter 8: Rumors**

"And that's my full report," Taicho said, standing on the other side of Zero's desk.

Zero raised one eyebrow. "There's a rumor that a new vampire king has risen, but you have no idea who it's supposed to be, when he showed up, or if the rumors have any truth? You call that a full report?"

Taicho shrugged, appearing indifferent to the whole matter. "I think the vampires made it up to serve some purpose or another, though I don't know where the rumor originated from, or what they're hoping to accomplish with it. No one I've questioned knows anything about this supposed vampire king other than that he supposedly exists. If you've got a new king running things, surely you should know something about him. Even if the king chooses to keep his identity secret, you should at least know who his supporters are, because someone would have to speak for him, but I haven't even been able to learn anything about that either."

Zero considered Taicho's words for a moment. "I still want you to keep your ear to the ground. Even if the rumor is a lie, I'm sure it's to serve some sort of purpose, like you said. We want to know what that purpose is and whether it's a rumor we want to encourage or debunk." Zero briefly wondered if the vampire who'd escaped the night Yuki got hurt had set himself up as king, but he would have had to of found powerful backers to manage that, and they'd killed the four vampires working with him.

Taicho nodded. "Will do, boss. More details are bound to arise, one way or another. If someone starts a rumor about a new vampire king and then nothing happens, people are bound to stop believing it." He gave Zero a two-fingered salute and wandered off.

~.~

Zero went to check on Yuki that night before leaving for patrol. She was healing well and he was almost ready to put her back in the field, but wanted to be absolutely sure she was back to one hundred percent before doing so. Despite how good she was, he still hated the thought of her being in any kind of danger.

He knocked on her door once before stepping inside to find her lying in bed reading.

Yuki gave him a reproachful look. "What if I'd been changing? Will you ever bother to listen for a response before opening my door?"

Zero gave her an unimpressed look. "The chances of you actually being in the middle of changing when I come see you are low. Besides, you hear the knock. You could shout at me not to come in if you wanted to."

Yuki's look clearly told him what she thought of that. He ignored it. "How are you feeling tonight?"

"Good," she answered, holding up one toned arm and flexing her bicep as if that proved the state of her health. "My headaches have mostly gone away and I was able to do some training today."

"Good," Zero said nodding. "Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Yuki blinked at him innocently before saying, "Speaking of pushing yourself too hard…" She trailed off and looked at him expectantly.

"What?" He asked, confused. He knew she thought he worked too hard as the president of the Hunter Association, but he hadn't been doing any more work than usual.

Her look turned disapproving. "I'm better and you still haven't asked for my blood. You said you would, Zero."

He cursed internally. He'd hoped she'd forget, but should have known better. Yuki never forgot, not about this, anyway. On the one hand, he appreciated her reminders and that she wanted to look out for him since he still wasn't comfortable asking her for her blood. On the other hand, he hated the reminder that he needed human blood.

He only drank her blood about every other month now, which was better, but…the worst part of it all was that a part of him didn't _want_ to reach the point where he didn't need to drink Yuki's blood. He hated himself for that. What kind of a beast wanted to drink the blood of the woman he loved? But that was exactly the problem. Drinking Yuki's blood brought him closer to her than he otherwise let himself be. He didn't know how it was for other vampires, but for him it was an intimate act. If he wasn't such a coward he could try subtly letting Yuki know how he felt about her (though Yuki was probably too dense to catch anything subtle), except he was sure that she still held feelings for Kuran. The two of them had always been close.

"Right," Zero said, looking at the floor rather than Yuki. "We'll do it when I get back."

"No, we won't," Yuki said, surprising Zero. "I'll probably be asleep when you get back, and you know it. This is just your way of worming out of it again. I'm healed enough to be able to do it, so we're going to do it now."

"Bossy girls aren't cute, you know," he told her.

"Who said I was trying to be cute!?" She demanded, blushing and throwing a pillow at him.

Zero caught the pillow and tossed it on the bed as Yuki walked over to him. She put her hands on her hips and stared up at him. "Well?"

He signed once before sliding one arm around her waist and pulling her closer. He slid his free hand into her hair, cupping her head and tilting it to the side. He tried not to inhale her scent as he lowered his head. Yuki always smelled fresh and sweet, like lilies after rain. He also tried not to think about how he wanted to wake up to that scent every morning.

He closed his eyes as he bit her throat and the intoxicating taste of her blood filled his mouth. Unconsciously, he pulled her closer to his body and she came willingly, wrapping her arms around his head.

Yuki's blood sustained Zero better than anything. He didn't need blood tablets for days after drinking her blood, and if he went too long without it, he felt himself losing small pieces of his control to his vampire side. Somehow, Yuki's blood made Zero able to completely control his vampire side. He'd never shown any signs of falling into Level E while drinking her blood regularly. He wondered if the powerful effect of her blood was because he loved her…or if it was somehow possible that there was something special about her. Kuran _had_ given her a great deal of attention, and it was exceptionally uncommon for a pureblood vampire to give attention like that to a human.

He felt a flash of possessive jealousy, as ridiculous as it was. Kuran was gone and he and Yuki were close friends. That was good enough.

~.~

A few days later, Zero was beyond sick of rumors about a vampire king. It seemed every other hunter coming in had more to report about the new 'vampire king'. The problem was, little of it seemed to match.

One hunter heard the vampire king was going to lead a vampire revolution and take over the human world (Zero wondered what idiotic vampire thought vampires had the numbers and power to accomplish that). Another heard the vampire king was going to demolish the Hunter Association, giving vampires free reign. Still another heard the vampire king was going to reorganize the Senate and rule over it, ushering in another golden age for the vampires (that one sounded like pure fancy to Zero, even _if_ there was a vampire king, vampires weren't exactly known for wanting to share power).

He was so irritated by the rumors, he was almost desperate enough to wish he could talk to Ichijo and learn what he knew about all this. _Almost._

The next night while out hunting a rogue, Zero heard new whispers that made him rethink his decision about not contacting Ichigo.

~.~

Zero ran down the alleyway, chasing his mark. The vampire clutched at his shoulder where Zero had shot him with Bloody Rose.

Aiming ahead of the vampire, Zero shot in quick succession at supports binding a fire escape to the side of the building. The metal ladder rumbled and squeaked before pulling away from the building and crashing into the alley with a resounding clatter. Zero cursed at the sound. He needed to end this before anyone came to investigate.

The shoulders of the vampire slumped as his escape route disappeared. Then he spun around to face Zero with a hiss, his fangs and talons bared. Blood from his latest victim still dripped from his mouth.

"You might kill me," the vampire said, backing up. "But _you_ will soon follow me!"

"I highly doubt that," Zero said in a deadpan voice before firing.

The vampire lunged to the side to evade the shot and got hit in the stomach rather than the chest. He fell to his knees, cradling his stomach. His fierce glare was ruined by him coughing up blood. "You will," the vampire insisted in a weak voice, a cruel smirk curling the edges of his mouth despite the pain in his eyes. "Our true king has risen. Kaname Kuran sleeps no more, and he will take his vengeance on you and your kind."

Zero paused, Bloody Rose still pointed at the vampire. "What do you mean Kuran has risen?" He demanded.

The vampire laughed. "You'll see, hunter. And then you'll join me in hell."

Zero fired and the vampire slumped over backward, most of his head gone.

Turning, Zero stalked away. It was just another silly rumor, as ridiculous as the last.

He passed a man running into the alley as he left. "Hey!" The man yelled, looking between the fallen fire escape and Zero. "What'd you do?" The man was dressed like an employee of some shop with khaki pants, a navy shirt, and a name tag.

Zero gave the man a dark look that made him flinch. "I heard a noise and came to investigate. Apparently, your ladder wasn't well secured. You might want to check on the maintenance of the rest of your building before you end up on the wrong end of a law suit."

~.~

When Zero returned to the Association, he heard more disturbing news. Hunters who'd been sent out on longer missions and now returned had also heard rumors about Kuran. The news sent his blood boiling, but at least this was one rumor he could set to rest. He knew who had Kuran's body, after all.

~.~

When Zero burst into Yuki's room, she gave him her usual irritated glare.

"I need Ichijo's number," he announced.

Yuki blinked at him. "What?"

"Ichijo's number," he repeated. "The two of you talk enough that I'm sure you've exchanged numbers so you can swap information in an emergency." Yuki looked guilty and Zero softened his tone as he held out his hand. "Please," he said. "I need to speak with him and verify something."

Reluctantly, Yuki held out her phone. Zero took it and left. This was a conversation he did _not_ want Yuki overhearing.

Once locked in his office, Zero found Ichijo's contact information and hit dial. No one answered on the first ring, so he hit dial a second and then a third time. Finally, Ichijo's voice came on and cautiously said, "Yuki?"

"No, it's Zero."

A depressed sigh. "Of course, I'm sorry. I-I saw her number and I thought…Anyway, what did you need from me?"

"The Night Class members took Kuran's body after he sacrificed his heart, right?"

Ichijo's voice was cautious again. "Yes," he said slowly, drawing out the word. "Why?"

"Because I'm hearing rumors that Kuran has risen and is the new vampire king."

Silence, then another sigh. "Yes, Kaname is awake, but he's not the vampire king. There is no vampire king, that's just…wishful thinking. I don't know how all those rumors got started, but I apologize for any problems it's causing you. I know it's making some vampires act rashly."

He cursed internally. That bastard was supposed to sleep for centuries. Why was he awake? _How_ was he awake? "If Kuran isn't being your king, then where is he?"

Zero tapped his fingers on his desk impatiently as Ichijo paused again. "We don't know," he admitted. "After Kaname found out Yuki died—"

Zero was so shocked to hear the words 'Yuki died' that he completely missed what Ichijo said next. He shook his head to clear away the shock "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Sorry," Ichijo apologized in a gentle voice. "I know Yuki meant a lot to you too. The first thing Kaname asked about after he woke was her. When we told him she'd died, that she was killed by vampires trying to take over vampire society, he disappeared." Ichijo's voice held a world of weariness and sorrow. However, Zero felt little sympathy for the vampire beyond knowing Ichijo _was_ genuinely trying to build a vampire government that lived peacefully alongside humans. Zero just didn't believe such a thing was possible.

"Right," Zero said, about to hang up. Instead he said, "Thanks," and then hung up. He could at least be a little grateful for the knowledge Ichijo had given him.

He set the phone on his desk and stared off into space. So, there wasn't _actually_ a vampire king, though the rumors of one was causing vampires to act out. However, Kuran _was_ awake, though MIA because he believed Yuki was dead.

Dread curdled in his stomach as he remembered how much attention Kuran had paid to Yuki. Zero had been dead sure Kuran would try to turn Yuki into a vampire at some point. Now he figured the only reason Kuran hadn't was because he'd planned to sacrifice his life. Now that Kuran was back, the first thing he'd done was ask after Yuki…And Ichijo, after seeing Yuki fall off the roof of a mansion, believed her dead.

Kuran needed to continue to believe that Yuki was dead…and Yuki needed to not find out that Kuran was alive. Zero's eyes dropped to Yuki's phone. He didn't know how he was going to accomplish those two goals, but he knew the first step was to make sure Yuki couldn't contact Ichijo. He picked her phone up and crushed it in his hands before stuffing it under some papers in his trash can.


	9. New Identity

**A/N:** Out of curiosity, are there any Zero fans reading this? I was planning on making this fic a love triangle, but if no one likes Zero, I might not bother.

 **Chapter 9: New Identity**

Zero threatened the Hunter Association doctor into telling Yuki she needed a few more days' until she was fully recovered, though that plan didn't buy him much time. Yuki was restless over being confined to the Association's headquarters. She'd already asked Zero what assignment she'd have when she returned to work.

This conundrum lead to Zero sitting in his office chair, leaned back so far the chair only rested on two legs, staring at the ceiling.

"Searching for the answers to life's deep questions?" Taicho asked as he walked in, his eyebrows raised over Zero's behavior.

Zero stared back at his friend, wondering if he should ask for Taicho's help. The less people who were in on Zero's plan, whatever it ended up being, the better…but he needed an actual plan first.

"Close the door," he told Taicho.

Taicho complied, his face turning serious. "What is it? What's happened?"

Zero took a moment to compose his thoughts before speaking. "There is no vampire king."

Taicho looked taken aback. This obviously wasn't what he was expecting. He looked at the door, then back at Zero. "And you want to keep this a secret from the Association?" A look of comprehension filled his eyes. "You found out who started the rumor and keeping it going serves the Hunter Association's purposes?"

Zero shook his head. "No, that's not why I had you close the door. There's a _candidate_ who many vampires want for their king, but he doesn't seem interested in the job."

"A vampire not interested in gaining more power?" Taicho asked. He dragged a chair to face Zero and sat, crossing one ankle over his knee. "This ought to be good. Tell me the rest of the story."

"It's Kuran."

Taicho's amused look faded. "Kuran is dead. At least, as good as dead for the next few centuries."

"Right," Zero said sarcastically, then then ran frustrated hands through his hair. "I think that's why so many crazy rumors have sprung up. If Kuran can wake up from what was supposed to be a centuries long sleep after only three years, then what other impossible things can he make happen?"

"Okay," Taicho said slowly, drawing out the word. "So, Kuran is back and the vampires want him to be king, but he doesn't want to be king. I'm still not seeing why you had me close the door."

One of Zero's hands began tapping a nervous rhythm on his desk. He _really_ hated this. Dealing with Kuran during his teenage years had been bad enough. Why did the bastard have to come back to life early? "Kuran always paid too much attention to Yuki."

"So you're jealous?" Taicho interrupted, leaning back in his chair. "You think Yuki will leave the Hunter Association to be with him? You could try being a little nicer to her. Maybe then she'd choose you."

Zero scowled and slammed on fist on the desk. "No, I'm afraid that Kuran will do what I'm pretty sure he wanted to do before. Turn Yuki into a vampire."

That shut Taicho up. For at least a minute. "You really think he'd go that far? Kuran toed the line that Cross setup for the vampires, didn't he? And made the rest of the vampires do so as well, if I recall correctly."

Why hadn't Zero realized that bringing this up might make it look like he was just jealous? Probably because most people didn't realize he held feelings for Yuki. Taicho only picked up on it because he knew Zero too well.

"Do you really think I'd make a fuss because I was _jealous?"_ Zero asked with a bland look.

Putting one hand to his chin, Taicho studied Zero. "You don't seem the type," he finally admitted. "But you really care for Yuki, and you really hate vampires, especially purebloods."

Zero tried not to grit his teeth as he spoke. "Fine then. A pureblood vampire, one of the most powerful and respected of his kind, for some reason decided to take an interest in a little girl he once saved." As soon as he said it, Zero remembered what Kuran had told Yuki shortly before he died. They'd grown up together. He decided not to add that to the story. The idea of humans with ties to the Hunter Association taking in a pureblood vampire had never made sense to him. Especially not since the vampire aristocrats had always wanted control of Kuran. He couldn't imagine them allowing humans to raise a pureblood vampire child. He didn't know what Kuran would gain from making up a story like that, but it had never felt quite true to him.

"For years Kuran visited Yuki regularly, bringing her gifts and asking about her life. Even around the Night Class he treated her differently. Several of the girls hated Yuki because they were jealous of the special attention she got. Tell me that that's not weird."

With a sigh, Taicho scrubbed his hands over his face. "I'm not a pureblood vampire, Zero, I have no idea how they think. I agree it seems weird, but just because Kuran was fond of Yuki doesn't mean he wanted to turn her into a vampire."

"Well then how about this," Zero began, his voice thick with irritation, "I called Ichijo to verify with him if Kuran was back. Apparently, the vampires think Yuki died when she fell off the roof of that mansion. According to Ichijo, the moment Kuran heard Yuki was dead, he disappeared. _That's_ why he's not taking a role in leading the vampires as he did before."

That got Taicho's attention. He finally seemed to seriously consider Zero's words.

"That's…not normal," he finally said. He stared at the floor, his brow furrowed in thought.

They stayed that way for several minutes before Taicho looked up. "You know, our development team is working on scentless cloth."

"What?" Zero asked, confused about the sudden change in subject. "Why do I care what the development team is doing?"

"Because," Taicho said, a smirk on his face, "we're going to tell Yuki that there _is_ a new vampire king, but he blames her for the death of Kaname. He wanted her dead and ordered the vampires we fought before to kill her. Lucky for us, they succeeded. At least, as far as the vampires are concerned they did."

"Yuki will never be okay with not fighting," Zero said, shaking his head. "She's too dimwitted to care if a vampire king wants her dead. It won't stop her from demanding to go out."

"That's where the cloth comes in," Taicho said, holding one finger up and wagging it at Zero. "We make a new uniform just for Yuki out of it, one that covers most of her body to hide her identity _and_ her scent."

Zero nodded thoughtfully, his eyes distant. "I'll have to keep her away from the other hunters too. Rumors about Kuran's return are bound to start circulating around the Association soon. I'll tell everyone that her injuries are more severe than we thought and officially take her off active duty."

"And what reason will you give Yuki for that?" Taicho asked.

Zero had to think that one over a bit. "I'll tell her it's to help make sure the vampires don't hear about her. If she's off active duty, other hunters will be less likely to talk about her in regular conversation. Out of sight, out of mind…and I'll tell her I have a covert mission for her, and that's another reason why."

Taicho stared at Zero, then shook his head. "You realize this will only work for so long, right? One of them is bound to find out about the other sooner or later."

Zero's face was cold. "It will work for a while. In the meantime, I'll just have to come up with something better."

~.~

"This new vampire king really wants me dead?" Yuki asked, feeling oddly hurt. She knew there were people who didn't like her, but for someone to want her dead…what could she have done to upset someone so much?

"Alleged vampire king," Zero corrected. "Things are very unstable in vampire society right now, Yuki. Honestly, I'm surprised it's taken someone this long to target you."

"Because of Kaname," Yuki said, her face falling. She didn't understand why some vampires blamed her for Kaname's death, but she knew they did. They seemed to think the whole reason Kaname sacrificed himself to the Hunter Association furnace was for Yuki's sake, to keep her safe. That was ridiculous, of course. Kaname had been a pureblood looked up to by all vampires. How could one human girl have meant so much to him? Then, to make matters worse in the vampires' eyes, Yuki joined the Hunter Association.

Zero was right, the real surprise was that it had taken the vampires this long to target her.

"But the vampires all think you're dead," Zero reminded her. "So you're safe, and I prefer to keep things that way. This vampire is too powerful and important with too many allies for us to go after, not without upsetting all the vampires, and they're already upset enough with us as things stand."

Yuki sighed and nodded. "So you plan to seclude me away from the other hunters and have me hunt anonymously with this new special uniform."

"It'll hopefully only be temporary," Zero said, feeling guilty for the forlorn look on Yuki's face. "When things settle down more among the vampires…" And Kaname hopefully decided to go into seclusion far away where no one could hope to reach him. "Then we'll revaluate, okay?"

Yuki nodded. "But does Takuma have to think I'm dead too? Couldn't we just tell him?"

Zero shook his head. "I know you consider Takuma to be your friend, Yuki." When Yuki glared at him he added, "And I know that Takuma _is_ fond of you, but he owes his allegiance to the vampires. We can't trust that we won't tell this alleged vampire king that you're still alive."

Yuki still looked upset, then a thought occurred to her. "You never gave me back my cell phone after you borrowed it. Where is it?"

"I…dropped it in my coffee. Sorry." Yuki glared. "I'll get you a new one," he promised with a sigh. "We have mostly the same contacts anyway." Minus the phone number of a vampire or two. "You can just copy everything on my phone."

He tossed a bundle of clothes at her and shooed her behind a screen. "Try this on and we'll see if I can pick up your scent or not." He heard the rustle of clothing and tried to ignore the fact that Yuki was undressing while he waited.

Finally, Yuki stepped out swathed in shades of grays and black. The colors would be harder for a vampire to spot in a city at night. The clothing was loose, both for ease of movement, and to make it harder to tell whether Yuki was a woman or a man. Black steel-toed boots covered her feet. The pants started right above the toes of the boots, equipped with pockets for various weapons. A high-necked shirt and long sleeved jacket covered her arms and torso, close fitting gloves covering her hands. A covering that looked like a mix between a turban and ski mask covered Yuki's face and hair, leaving only her eyes visible. She looked mysterious, like some shadow stalker out of a dream.

"Well?" Yuki asked, her voice slightly muffled. "Can you smell me?"

Zero had to move closer. Yuki's smell was already in the room. He leaned close and sniffed, walking around her. She smelled like…nothing. It was as though the space where she stood was empty of all smell. After having enhanced senses for nearly a decade, it unnerved Zero for there to be something he couldn't smell.

"It works," he declared.

"Good!" Yuki said, clapping her hands together once excitedly.

Zero sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. "You can't act like you normally do, Yuki. You're far too cheerful for a vampire hunter. Anyone who knew you would easily pick you out as Yuki Cross. You're going to have to act differently, more serious. And you need to disguise your voice."

"Like this?" Yuki asked in a high-pitched falsetto.

Zero gave her a bland stare. "That makes you sound like an idiot and is obviously fake."

Her eyes became intense. "What if I talk like this?" The voice was low and serious, and the faint muffling of the mask seemed to only add to the voice.

"Perfect," Zero said, nodding once.

"Good!" Yuki said cheerfully. "That's the voice I use when I'm imitating you."


	10. Mystery Woman

**A/N:** No one messaged to say they like Zero, so rejoice Kaname fans! Poor Zero will get no love from Yuki.

 **Chapter 10: Mystery Woman**

Takuma stared at the vampires assembled in his living room, nervous to begin speaking. It was the same group it had always been…minus Seiren. None of them were surprised when she disappeared without a word, thought Takuma couldn't deny he was disappointed to lose her help.

"Well?" Aido asked, placing his arms along the back of the couch and tilting his head back until he stared at a chandelier. "What did you want to talk to us about?"

"I think we should fight for peace between humans and vampires," Takuma blurted, then realized using the words 'fight' and 'peace' in the same sentence probably sounded like a bit of an oxymoron.

Everyone stared at him. Finally, Kain blinked and said, "Um, okay…Why?"

"I think it might help bring Kaname back to us," he explained. His audience looked less then convinced. Even Rima and Shiki looked like they were pitying him a little.

"What makes you think that would work?" Ruka asked, crossing her arms and giving Takuma an unimpressed stare.

"What makes you think it wouldn't?" He replied mildly. "Kaname spent his life working toward peace between humans and vampires. It's something he nearly gave his life for." Ruka's eyes tightened at the reminder. "Fighting for that same cause, for peace, is something we should have been doing all along in honor of Kaname's name. Do you think he's happy that we didn't? That the moment he sacrificed himself, we all dropped his dreams and plans?"

Shiki and Rima met his eyes, but Ruka, Kain and Aido did not. The three of them stared at the ground or their feet, guilty looks on their faces.

"We had to reorganize vampire society before we could focus on something like that," Aido said lamely. They all knew that most of them hadn't truly cared about Kaname's dream. They'd cared about following and supporting Kaname, but the dream could have been nearly anything. What did powerful, long-lived vampires care for humans other than as a source of food and entertainment? Takuma cared, but knew he was in the minority. "If we work toward peace between humans and vampires, between us and the hunters," Aido twitched at the mention of the vampire hunters, "then maybe Kaname will return to us."

Ruka and Aido looked hopeful and Takuma felt a twinge of guilt. He was being manipulative and he knew it. He _did_ earnestly desire to give Kaname a reason to live. He hoped that if they strove to create the type of society Kaname had once dreamed of and worked for, that Kaname would become interested in his dream once again and join them. He knew Kaname would never join them as their king as the others hoped, but Takuma did want to work alongside his friend again in whatever capacity Kaname was willing to give them.

"It would have been a great gift to Kaname if he had awoken to find that we had made progress toward his dream," Ruka said softly, staring at her hands folded in her lap. Her fingers tightened together. "He must be disappointed that we've accomplished _nothing."_

"We haven't accomplished nothing," Aido said in irritation. "We stopped a group of vampires trying to kill a bunch of humans distract us while they set themselves up as rulers. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

Ruka rolled her eyes. "That's _stopping_ something from happening, not forming a new government, or establishing peaceful relations with humans, or working with Cross to help the next generation of vampires be friendly to humans, or—"

"Fine, fine, whatever," Aido interrupted, a pout on his face as he put his elbow on the arm of the couch and rested his chin in his hand.

"So, you're all in favor?" Takuma asked, cautiously optimistic. "We're all going to work to protect humans and foster a better relationship with them?"

~.~

"Do we really have to do this?" Aido complained, throwing his head back and dragging his feet. "When you said we were going to work for peace between humans and vampires, I thought you meant things like what Headmaster Cross did, not hunting down humans serial killers." Night had fallen and Aido, Takuma, and Kain were walking down a deserted street.

"Of course this is important," Takuma said passionately. "What better way to foster better relationships with humans than to use our enhanced abilities to protect them?"

"Well," Kain began, his voice bland, "there's the fact that no human will ever _know_ we stopped a serial killer. I don't think we can get credit for doing something anonymously…There's also the fact that most humans don't even know we exist. I suppose doing this might get us points with the vampire hunters. If we're lucky."

"That's the wrong attitude, my friends! The point isn't getting _credit_ for doing good deeds, the point is changing our perceptions! You know what they say, you love the ones you serve. If we work to protect humans from threats they can't protect themselves from, then it will help change our attitude toward humans. _That's_ what this is about. We'll be silent saviors in the night! Didn't you guys dream about being a hero when you were little?"

"I dreamed about being world-renowned for my genius," Aido said. "And that's already happened. I've been on TV, remember?"

"I probably dreamed about not getting in trouble for Aido's antics," Kain said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and gazing up at the stars. "And that's one dream that will probably never come true."

Takuma sighed, his shoulders drooping. "You two don't have one romantic bone in your body. Well, I think this is a good idea, so we're going to try it."

"It's not a bad place to start, I suppose," Kain admitted with a shrug. Takuma beamed at him.

A woman's scream rang through the night. Aido perked up. "Maybe if I save her, she'll let me drink her blood." He took off at a run.

"No!" Takuma yelled, chasing after his friend and throwing a disgruntled look at Kain who shrugged helplessly. "That's not the point of this!"

Takuma and Kain reached a small park, abandoned at this late hour, shortly behind Aido. To Takuma's surprise, Aido was standing still, one eyebrow quirked in puzzlement. Takuma followed his friend's gaze to see a small figure clad all in gray standing between a woman in a red dress and a man holding a long knife. A cut ran down the woman's arm, as though the man had been attacking her when the mysterious stranger intervened.

Takuma tried not to be distracted by the enticing smell of the woman's blood, but she removed the problem herself when she took one last look at the gray figure and man with the knife before turning and running.

The gray clad figure dipped downward, swinging one leg out and tripping the man, who Takuma assumed was the serial killer they were hunting. He smelled strongly of human blood other than his own. In a smooth motion, the person flipped to the other side of the killer, kicked the knife out of his hand, then grabbed both the killer's hands and tied them roughly to a park bench.

The figure stared at the three vampires, dark red-brown eyes the person's only visible feature. "The police are already on their way," a gruff voice said. Takuma wasn't sure if it was male or female. "You might want to be gone before that point." With that, the figure quickly disappeared into the trees of the park.

The three vampires stared after her. Aido spoke first. "That was the ugliest outfit I have ever seen. Why would anyone willingly choose to wear such an ugly gray color?" He put his hand to his chin as though pondering the thought. "Then again, maybe his…or her face is so ugly that the gray covering is an improvement."

Takuma shook his head, still surprised at what had just happened. "Who in the world was that?"

Kain shrugged. "I doubt we'll ever know." He scratched his head as he turned toward where they heard police sirens. "Should we get out of here?"

"Yeah," Takuma agreed, his eyes still on the spot where the gray stranger disappeared. "Let's see if we can track down that woman and make sure she gets home safely."

~.~

A week later found the Night Class vampires out again, though hunting a vampire rather than a human this time.

"So, are we supposed to kill this guy, or just give him a warning?" Shiki asked Rima. "I can't remember which Takuma said. I know that Kain has been pushing for us to give warnings first, but…"

Rima shrugged, turning to look at Ruka. "Well, Ruka? This vampire hasn't killed anyone yet that we know of, but he is kidnapping human girls and using them for food."

Ruka flicked her hand in an irritated gesture. "I don't care. Whichever is easiest."

Shiki and Rima exchanged looks. "We're supposed to be leaders for vampire society," Shiki argued. "Takuma wants us to be able to create a new senate, a better senate, and lead vampires to a better way of life. That means there's a right answer and a wrong answer. We need to send a message that attacking humans isn't allowed, but we also need to make sure vampires know we're enforcing those rules before we kill them for breaking them. Right?"

"Why are you asking me?" Ruka snapped. While she had to admit she saw sense in Takuma's plan to lure Kaname back to them by working to enact the dream Kaname had fought for before, it was hard to be motivated when they didn't even know where Kaname was. For all they knew, he was in another country by now and would never even hear about what they were doing. What would be the point of all this work then?

Rima and Shiki exchanged another look. "Then we'll explain things to the vampire," Rima said. "If he hears what we have to say and still doesn't care, we'll kill him."

Shiki nodded his agreement.

Ruka rolled her eyes, annoyed by how devoted Rima and Shiki were to following Takuma's plan for changing vampire society without really knowing _how_ to follow his plan.

Ruka suddenly stopped and sniffed. She smelled vampire and human blood. "This way," she said, turning without checking to make sure the other two followed her.

The three of them snuck up to a building that appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. They were almost to the doors when they burst open and a few teenage girls came running out.

Shiki blinked as he watched the run away. "Did they escape?" He asked, tilting his head.

"No," Ruka said, her eyes narrowed. "I can still smell the vampire. I know he's close by."

Rima led the way into the warehouse. On the other side of the large room, the vampire Ruka smelled was indeed alive and present, but he was strung up on rope wrapped around his arms and chest so he hung from a catwalk above them.

Movement along a side wall caught Ruka's attention. She turned to see a gray clad figure about to leap out a window.

"I don't believe it," she murmured. "The boys' tale about some gray person coming and interfering is actually true?" She'd thought they'd just failed to capture the serial killer and hadn't wanted to admit it.

The figure paused to look down at them. "I'll leave the decision of how to handle this vampire to you three," the person said in a gruff voice, then turned and jumped out the window.

"Well, this makes our job easier," Rima said, watching the dangling vampire with her hands on her hips. "Let's drag him back to the mansion and let Takuma give him the lecture. Then Takuma can decide whether we kill him or not."

~.~

Over the next few months, the Night Class vampires encountered the mysterious person multiple times. In their planning office, Takuma stepped back to look at the many boards on the walls. In addition to keeping track of things like allies, threats, and future plans, Takuma now had a board dedicated to the gray clad figure.

They still didn't know much, but through their short interactions Takuma had been able to figure out that the person was a woman, that she was highly trained, and that she seemed to have a similar agenda to the Night Class. She stopped threats to humans, both of the human and vampire variety, and only killed when necessary. They also knew that she fled the scene as soon as she'd accomplished what she came to do.

She had no scent they could track, which didn't make sense, but as soon as she was out of their line of sight, they couldn't find her again. Part of him hoped she was a powerful vampire helping them from the sidelines, but he didn't have enough information to know one way or the other. Takuma really wished he could make her stick around and talk. He wanted to team up with her.


	11. History Lesson

**Chapter 11: History Lesson**

Takuma cautiously entered the abandoned Kuran mansion. Or, more accurately, formerly abandoned Kuran mansion. He entered through the front door to make his presence as obvious as possible, but still moved cautiously. He had no idea what state Kaname would be in. The fact that Seiren had decided to tell Takuma where Kaname was made him fear the answer.

He looked around as he walked. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere. Surely that meant Kanamed hadn't allowed Seiren to clean because he couldn't imagine Seiren willingly allowing Kaname to live in such a filthy place.

Above the fireplace sat a large portrait, the only clean thing in a house filled with over a decade over dirt and grime. At first he only gave the portrait a cursory glance. Many aristocratic vampires had portraits painted of their families, but then something caught his eye and made him freeze. There were _four_ people in that portrait when there should have only been three.

Juri sat on a love seat with Haruka behind her, one hand on Juri's shoulder and the other arm around Kaname's shoulders who stood next to him. Juri in turn had one hand holding Haruka's on her shoulder and the other arm squeezing a…little girl. A little girl who looked similar to her. Kaname's eyes, rather than looking out of the portrait, smiled down fondly at the little girl.

Could it be the Kuran princess? She had actually existed? But when had she died? At first he wondered if she'd been killed when Rido attacked the Kurans, but the more he looked at the little girl, the more familiar her bright eyes and warm smiled seemed. She couldn't possibly be…

Takuma hurried through the mansion now, searching for Kaname. He opened room after room filled with sheet covered furniture, cracked windows, and dust. Finally he flung open the doors of a ballroom that had not seen any occupants in a very long time. Cobwebs draped the unlit chandeliers above. The windows were thick with grime, though that didn't disguise the fact that some were cracked. A few were missing panes, letting in some of the cool night air. Only the dust covering the floor was disturbed in a few places and in the corner sat Kaname, his knees drawn up and his gaze listless as he looked at Takuma.

"Kaname," Takuma whispered, taking slow and measured steps into the ballroom. He looked his friend over. Kaname's hair was lanky and he was too thin. "Not taking care of yourself won't accomplish anything," he said gently. His first thought had been to confront Kaname over the painting, but seeing his friend he couldn't bring himself to do it. Kaname's pain was too obvious.

"Taking care of myself won't accomplish anything either," Kaname replied, his voice a little rough from disuse.

Takuma didn't know what to say that, so he talked about other things instead. "The Night Class is trying to carry on your dream." No reaction. "We're working to create a new government for vampires, one that is focused on better relations between humans and vampires, but…we've been having some trouble. Vampire society completely fractured in your absence." Thanks in part to Kaname killing the Senate and leaving a vacuum of power, but Takuma didn't bring that up.

Kaname still didn't respond. He was looking at one of the windows now, though it was too filthy for him to see outside.

"We could use your help," Takuma ventured. "You wouldn't have to do much, but just having your support would do a lot to help us…other vampires would start really listening to what we have to say…What do you think, Kaname?"

Kaname shrugged, the movement as elegant as ever. "I don't care. Tell people I support what you're doing. It makes little difference to me either way."

Takuma's shoulders slumped. "Don't you care at all, Kaname? This is what you fought for before, this is what you worked for."

Kaname leaned his head back against the wall and looked at Takuma again. "I did," he admitted. "I wanted better relations between humans and vampires. It was what Haruka and Juri wanted. And what she wanted." Takuma didn't have to ask who 'she' was. "Though much of what I did was for her sake. I wanted her to be safe. I did so much just for her…and none of it mattered in the end. She died anyway because I wasn't around to protect her."

The smell of Kaname's blood filled the room and Takuma realized Kaname was digging his nails into his hands so hard that he'd cut himself. Kaname stared down at the cuts as though mesmerized. "It was all futile in the end. I sacrificed myself to make the world safer for humans and it didn't even save the woman I love. I should have stayed with her."

Seeing Kaname like this broke Takuma's heart. "You can't just sit here and wallow in your pain," he said quietly.

"I can actually," Kaname said, his voice stronger than it had been. "No one alive has the power to force me to do otherwise."

Takuma sighed. "That's not what I meant. If you stay here and think only of her, your pain will just grow. You need to involve yourself in other things, you need to find a purpose."

"There is no other purpose," Kaname argued, then turned to look at the grimy windows again. "I gave you permission to use my name in your cause. You don't need anything else from me."

Takuma debated what he should do next. Kaname obviously _wanted_ Takuma to leave, but that wasn't what he _needed._ Takuma squared his shoulders and marched forward. "I appreciate that, Kaname, but before I leave we should at least get you cleaned up." To his surprise, Kaname didn't resist as Takuma pulled him to his feet and led him to a bathroom. The bathroom, at least, had been moderately cleaned up. Takuma dumped his friend in the shower before going in search of clean clothes. He found them, though wondered if Seiren had bought them rather than Kaname. Kaname didn't seem to care at the moment whether he had clean clothes or not.

Kaname came out of the bathroom, clean and freshly dressed. His wet hair hung around his face.

"Can I ask you something, Kaname?" Takuma asked, his voice serious. His mind flashed to the painting, but he didn't think that particular question would be wise to ask, despite how badly he wanted to know the story behind it.

Kaname stared at him for a moment before turning and walking down the hall. "You can ask whatever you'd like, though I don't guarantee you'll get an answer."

Takuma followed Kaname, unsure if he should be tense or relaxed. He couldn't read Kaname's mood. His friend had rarely been volatile, but purebloods could be unpredictable and Kaname was obviously not in the best state of mind.

"You didn't die even after giving up your heart," Takuma said cautiously. "To be that powerful, you have to be a lot older than me."

They walked in silence until Kaname pointed out, "You didn't ask me a question."

Takuma sighed. "How old are you, Kaname? And are you really the son of Haruka and Juri?" He'd met Kaname as a child. He'd _seen_ him as a little boy…but no young pureblood could possibly survive what Kaname had. It didn't make sense. Something else had to be going on here.

Kaname's head turned just enough for Takuma to catch the edge of a bitter smile. "Several thousand years ago, the climate changed. Many large volcanoes erupted within a few years, leaving much of the earth under a cloud of ash that blocked the sun for years. This led to the creation of another race. The vampire."

Takuma stayed quiet as Kaname talked. He vaguely knew this story, but Kaname spoke of the events familiarly, as though he were present for all this.

"I…I was one of the very first of this new race born. Obviously, that means I'm not the child of Juri and Haruka. I am, however, their ancestor. I was the first of the Kuran line."

Takuma opened his mouth, closed it. Opened it, closed it. He didn't even know what to say. That would make Kaname thousands and thousands of years old. Because Kaname sacrificed his heart and survived, Takuma had known his friend must be much older than he'd appeared, but to be one of the original vampires…Takuma never would have guessed that.

Kaname seemed willing enough to provide answers, so Takuma figured it was safe to keep going. "How did you end up as Haruka and Juri's son?" Takuma asked.

"The rest of the original vampires died one way or another," Kaname said, glancing absently at dusty paintings they passed in the hallway. Takuma had no idea where Kaname was leading them. He wasn't sure Kaname knew either. "Wars, suicide, fights, assassinations. I survived them all and with each passing century became more powerful. Eventually, I reached the point where I could not die. I discovered this after several attempts on my life. Other vampires searching to usurp my position attacked me, and though I did not bother fighting back, I did not die. I became concerned and tried to take my own life, though my attempts all failed."

Takuma's heart ached for his friend. What would it be like to watch everyone around you die and be unable to join them?

"I was able to put myself into a deep sleep, though I knew it wouldn't last. At some point, some fool vampire wanting my power would awake me." Kaname's eyes darkened with shadows. "Rido Kuran was that fool. He took Juri and Haruka's infant son and sacrificed him to revive me, putting me partially under his control. I was able to harm him and force him off for some time, but the effort made me reduce myself back to an infant. My descendants, Juri and Haruka, kindly decided to raise me in place of their lost son."

Kaname stopped walking and Takuma realized they'd somehow ended up on the first floor in the main living room, with the vibrant portrait of the Kuran family on full display. Takuma hadn't even noticed when they'd walked down a side set of stairs. He'd been too engrossed in Kaname's story.

Though Takuma had decided not to ask about the portrait, it seemed impossible not to with it right there and Kaname staring right at it. Obviously Kaname would know Takuma wanted to ask about it.

"So, there really was a Kuran Princess?" He asked. "Well, not princess since the Kuran's abolished the monarchy, but Haruka and Juri really had a little girl after you? I mean, after their son?" Takuma flushed, feeling like an idiot. He was no great speaker, but he was usually more eloquent than this.

Kaname's eyes slid to his. "Is whether or not there was a Kuran princess really the question you want to ask?"

Takuma looked back at the portrait, back at the smile and eyes that were so familiar. It seemed impossible, of course, that that girl could possibly be Yuki. But it also seemed impossible that Kaname could be the original Kuran ancestor. "Is that little girl the daughter of the Kurans? And is she…Yuki?"

A world of sadness filled Kaname's eyes as he turned back to the portrait. "Juri sacrificed her life for Yuki. Rido was after her and Juri already lost one child to him. She used a spell that used her life force to make Yuki's vampire genes dormant, turning her into a human."

Takuma could only stare at Kaname. The story seemed so ludicrous…and so right. It explained everything. Why from the very beginning of Kaname moving in with Ichijos he'd taken time to visit a little human girl. Why visiting Yuki made Kaname happier than anything. Why Kaname treated Yuki so specially and loved her above everything else in his life.

Then another realization struck Takuma that made him feel sick. He hadn't just allowed the love of Kaname's life to die, he'd allowed a pureblood to die. A pureblood who had probably been born to be Kaname's wife, because that was often the way pureblood families worked. A pureblood who would live forever and would have finally been an eternal mate for Kaname. One who could have provided children who wouldn't die. Kaname had probably planned to turn Yuki back into a vampire after the threat of Rido had passed…but then the Hunter Association had needed his help.

How could he ask Kaname for his help knowing all this? How could he possibly face his friend again after this? Yes, he would have saved Yuki if he'd known she was in danger, but…he should have been paying attention. He should have been more concerned with her safety.

Kaname sighed and turned from the portrait, making his way to the stairs. "You have my blessing for whatever it is you're trying to accomplish, Takuma. Feel free to use my name in support of your actions."

Takuma watched his friend disappear down a hall, back in the direction of the ballroom he'd been in earlier. And then Takuma left.


	12. Discovery

**A/N:** Thank you to Lady of the Fates who's commented on every chapter since she started reading this fic. Thank you also to Dayeli1209 for all their reviews. Reviews definitely make me happy J

 **Chapter 12: Discovery**

Yuki flipped from one rooftop to the next, using her staff to help brace her as she landed. Taicho had the staff specially designed for her. It was long and solid, and if you twisted it right, a long blade popped out one end. It wasn't the same as using Artemis, a weapon she still missed, but there were a few similarities.

Yuki stopped when she saw a familiar blond hair below. As stealthily as she could, she got closer, dropping down onto a balcony filled with tall potted plants. Takuma was speaking with someone who stood in shadow. Takuma's face was earnest, his hands waving around as he explained something to his companion. Yuki couldn't help a sad smile as she watched Takuma's enthusiasm. She missed that optimistic enthusiasm, missed having someone in her life who held the same ideals as her.

Her heart ached as she watched her old friend. Was it really possible that he held a grudge against her now? That if he learned she was alive, he would hand her over to this vampire who wanted to be king?

She was out on patrol and occasionally she went nearer to the Ichijo mansion than she was sure Zero would want her to, but what better place to find important information about vampires than around vampires? At least, that's what she told herself.

Yuki turned to climb back onto the roof when Takuma's companion stepped closer to the light of a street lamp. The sight made her heart stop. She whipped back around, sure her eyes must be playing tricks on her.

A tall, lithe figure that hid the person's true strength. Shoulder length dark hair done in a careless style that somehow still looked elegant. Though she couldn't see the eyes, she knew they'd be a reddish brown similar to her own. Kaname.

Without realizing what she was doing, she'd taken a few steps further out onto the balcony. She forced herself to pause, eyes riveted on a sight she never thought she'd see again.

Kaname. Kaname. Kaname. It felt like every pulse of her heart beat out his name. How was he here? How was this possible? Why hadn't anyone told her?

Then, a terrible thought entered Yuki's mind. Kaname would be powerful enough to make himself vampire king. But he couldn't possibly be the vampire Zero had been talking about, could he? Yuki's heart squeezed painfully. Kaname couldn't possibly hate her or want her hurt…unless he was angry with her for joining the Vampire Hunter Association. Did he hate her for all the vampires she'd killed as a hunter?

Thought after thought zoomed around Yuki's head, each fighting for dominance. When a small voice said Kaname hadn't even come to see her, hadn't even told her he was alive, she reminded herself that the vampires thought she was dead. Unless Kaname had woken up before then. Or maybe he'd never really fallen into a slumber in the first place. Maybe it had all been a ruse while he worked toward something in secret.

Yuki shook her head as though she could dislodge these thoughts. She wasn't going to get any answers here, and she couldn't risk talking to the two vampires below, not right now. She needed to talk to Zero.

~.~

"The Gray Lady is incredible," Takuma said excitedly, his eyes shining. "We don't know anything about her really, but she seems to have the same goals as us. We've had several times where we went to take care of a problem, and she was already there handling it." He paused. "I wish she'd stick around to talk with us." He paused again to stare at Kaname. "You don't think she could be a pureblood, do you? Somehow using magic to mask her scent?"

Kaname had been listening to Takuma talk about the Gray Lady for a while now. He'd heard Ruka mention something about her and asked Takuma. His old friend taken that as an invitation to go on and on about this mysterious woman. Kaname almost regretted giving Takuma his honest opinion. "No," he said. "It's highly unlikely that a pureblood would be so altruistic. You know there aren't many and I have a hard time seeing any of the pureblood women doing any of the things this Gray Lady of yours does."

Takuma nodded, a disappointed smile on his face. "I figured you'd say something like that, but I couldn't help hoping. Anyway, here are more blood tablets for you."

Takuma held them out and Kaname stepped forward to take them. Seiren, in some misguided attempt to force Kaname into the outside world, had stopped keeping blood tablets at the Kuran Mansion. Kaname could go longer than most vampires without sustenance and the pang of hunger helped keep thoughts of Yuki at bay.

Unfortunately, once the hunger got too great he'd start having hallucinations, many of which featured Yuki. In some she was dying and asked why he hadn't save her when he'd had the chance. In some she condemned him for choosing the Vampire Hunter Association over her and asked him why she hadn't been enough for him. In others, she was still alive and the two were married. He couldn't decide which of the hallucinations were most painful, but he knew he didn't want to see any of them, so he now went to Takuma when he knew his hunger was becoming too much. The least he could do in return was listen to his friend talk.

Movement caught Kaname's attention on a balcony across the street. He lifted his gaze and stared, but saw nothing more.

"What is it?" Takuma asked, turning and following Kaname's gaze.

"It's nothing," Kaname said with a shake of his head. "Just some ferns blowing in the breeze."

~.~

Yuki was shaking when she reached Zero's office. She wasn't sure if it was because she was so shocked at seeing Kaname alive, or because she was so furious with Zero.

Yuki silently slid into Zero's office from the window. Even among the vampire hunters she had to stay hidden. The only ones who knew she was the Gray Lady (as the people had taken to calling her) were Zero and Taicho. Sadly, Yuki was greeted by the sight of an empty office. Zero was out.

For a moment, Yuki debated going to her room and checking back later, but she had too much energy to just sit around or read. She paced the office, trying to get ahold of her trembling limbs. While going out into the field would be a good way to burn energy, she didn't trust her herself running around at the moment. She was too distracted and would probably fall off a roof (with no one around to catch her this time).

As a result, Yuki paced and paced and paced. She was so caught up in her pacing she didn't notice when the door to the office opened. After making another turn or two, she noticed the pale figure standing in the doorway.

"Yuki," Zero admonished, looking over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him. "What are you doing here dressed like that?"

Yuki still had her uniform on, other than her face covering, which lay on Zero's desk. She did nothing but stare at him, unsure of what to say.

"What is it?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern. "Did something happen while you were out tonight?"

Yuki spent a few more moments staring, making Zero nervous. "What?" He demanded. "What happened?"

"Did you know that Kaname is alive?" Yuki asked. It wasn't what she wanted to ask. How could the president of the Hunter Association _not_ know that one of the most powerful vampires in existence had essentially come back from the dead?

Zero's pale skin got even lighter before he whirled away from Yuki and busied himself with papers at his desk. Yuki narrowed her eyes at him, waiting for a response.

"What did you find out?" Zero asked.

"That Kaname is alive," Yuki said, crossing her arms. "I saw him talking with Takuma. You didn't answer my question. And you told me someone claiming to be a vampire king wanted me dead." She felt the same sinking feeling she'd felt earlier. "Are you saying that Kaname wants me dead?" Could that be true? Could it be that Kaname wanted nothing to do with her now?

"It's complicated," Zero said, eyes still on the papers cluttering his desk.

"Just tell me the truth, Zero!" Yuki exclaimed, slamming her hands on his desk and trying to force him to look at her.

"The truth?" Zero asked, raising his eyes and glaring at Yuki. "The truth is that Kuran has been back for _months_ and nothing has changed. Wasn't he your great hero fighting for peace between humans and vampires? He has done _nothing_ for the sake of humans since he's returned. You've been out there in the field. Have things changed in the slightest since Kuran's return? If anything, things have gotten worse."

Slowly, Yuki removed her hands from Zero's desk. He was right. The Hunter Association had had to be more active in the past few months. Something had riled the vampires up and many more than usual were attacking humans and causing trouble. Yuki had assumed it was because of the supposed vampire king who wanted her dead…was it all because of Kaname?

"But why?" Yuki asked, barely aware of how lost her voice sounded.

Zero's eyes hardened. "Because it was all a lie. Everything Kaname did and fought for before was to serve his own purposes. He never cared about peace between humans and vampires."

Wordlessly, Yuki shook her head, but she had no real argument to give. Kaname had been back for months and things had only gotten worse. Why? Was it because other vampires felt like he was a traitor for sacrificing his heart to the Hunter Association? Maybe that's why they were acting out. They wanted to show that they wouldn't follow Kaname's lead in forging better relations with humans. She had seen Kaname talking with Takuma, and he was still working toward peace between humans and vampires, wasn't he?

"I'm sorry, Yuki," Zero said with a sigh, his voice softening. "I know how close the two of you were before, and maybe I shouldn't have kept this from you, but…Everything is so unsettled right now. I didn't want to risk losing you to him and the fanatic vampires fighting humans in his name." Yuki wanted to argue that even if vampires were fighting humans in Kaname's name, that didn't mean he approved of it. But then why wasn't he stopping it? "Too many of them blame you, either for what happened to Kaname, or for you joining the hunters afterward."

He continued to watch Yuki carefully. "I know this is hard for you to hear, but you'll be careful, right? We can't trust Kuran. His actions since he's returned have proven that."

Slowly, Yuki nodded once. She would be careful, which meant she'd confront Kaname as the Gray Lady rather than as Yuki.

~.~

Yuki went to the Ichijo mansion first, but no matter how many windows she peered through, she couldn't find a sign of Kaname. She saw Ruka, Kain, Aido, and Takuma. She felt sure one of those four would be with Kaname if he was at the mansion. That either meant he was out doing something…or that he was staying somewhere else. Daylight was approaching, which meant Kaname could have likely returned to wherever he called home now.

Going on a hunch, Yuki returned to the Association headquarters to look up the address of the Kuran mansion. She threw a cloak over her uniform, not wanting to take the time to change. She found the information she wanted quickly enough and slipped back out into the night. While at the Association, Yuki couldn't help but grab Artemis. She knew she wasn't supposed to use it since it was known as Yuki's weapon, but she hadn't used it for months. Wouldn't it be believable that Artemis would have been handed off to someone else by now? It would be foolish to waste a vampire weapon simply for the sake over honoring its previous dead user. Plus, something about going off to find Kaname felt nostalgic and made Yuki want her old weapon.

When she reached the Kuran mansion, Yuki began doubting herself. The large yard was completely overgrown and the windows were filthy. Enough cobwebs hung around for the place to be labeled a haunted mansion for Halloween. It certainly didn't look like anyone lived here.

Still, there was no harm in looking around, right? Even if Kaname wasn't here, it still might be interesting to see what she could find. The thought made Yuki feel guilty. She was looking for Kaname to get answers, not trying to sneak around his old home to find out more about his past.

To Yuki's surprise, the knob to the front door turned easily under hand. Was an unlocked door another sign that the mansion was empty? She slowly walked inside the dark manor, taking in the sheet-draped furniture and the layer of dust. Above her, a massive chandelier was covered in cobwebs. She shivered at the thought of how many spiders might be crawling around in there.

Something to the right of the chandelier, above the fireplace, caught Yuki's attention and stopped her cold. It was the only clean thing in the room. A large portrait of what must be a young Kaname, two adults, and a little girl that looked like…her. Of course, Kaname had told Yuki that the two of them had grown up together for a few years, which could explain why the two of them would be in a family portrait together, but that didn't explain why the two adults in the picture resembled both Yuki _and_ Kaname.

And why would a portrait of _her_ parents be in the _Kuran_ mansion?

Yuki didn't know how long she stood staring at the mysterious painting before rousing herself to continue her search. The painting brought up many questions, but standing there staring at it wasn't going to answer any of them.

A chill of unease crept up Yuki's spine as she explored. It was all because she'd thought that this mansion looked haunted. Inside, it looked even more haunted. She gave herself a mental slap for her silly thoughts. She was a vampire hunter; she wasn't going to be afraid of the possibility of ghosts. If they even existed.

When Yuki opened the door to a large room with massive windows and a marble floor, she knew someone had to have been in this room somewhat recently because the dust along the floor was disturbed in several places.

Stepping inside, she could see the room looked like a ballroom. Her gaze moved along the giant, empty space, until it stopped on a dark figure in one corner. Her heart leapt to her throat for a moment as she thought _ghost!_ But then she realized she recognized the elegant hair and pale skin. Kaname.

They stared at one another from across the room, Yuki unable to think of a thing to say. Kaname broke the silence first.

"I suppose you must be the Gray Lady Takuma told me of. Why are you here?"

Kaname stayed sitting in his dark corner, not bothering to stand to speak to her. Something was wrong here. Why was Kaname staying in an abandoned mansion? Why hadn't he had it cleaned? And why was he hiding in a corner of an empty ballroom?

"Please forgive the intrusion, Kuran," Yuki said, barely remembering to deepen her voice. She gave him a deferential bow of her head. "I am a third party in the conflict between vampire hunters and vampires, trying to do what I feel is best for both groups as well as for humans…" She hesitated, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say next. "I have always been told that you were a great champion for peace between humans and vampires, but since you're return…it appears there has been no change."

"And?" Kaname asked, leaning his head back and casually resting his elbows on his knees. "Is the fate of the world my concern? Why should I worry over the lives of every little human and vampire? They come and go, never really changing on either side, and I remain. I see no point."

Yuki's heart clenched at Kaname's words. He didn't really believe this, did he? His actions from before weren't a lie as Zero had said, were they? "Your words don't match the stories I've heard of you," Yuki said. "Weren't you the one who initiated the Night Class with Cross in order to foster more understanding between humans and vampires?"

"Were you not listening?" Kaname asked, his eyes flashing red. "It does not matter what I did before. It served little purpose then and no purpose now. I've no interest in babying foolish races and ushering them, no _forcing_ them, toward a peace they don't deserve or want."

"How can you just decide they don't want peace?" Yuki asked numbly. "How can you know that, how can you say that when there _are_ those fighting for that peace? Who continued to work toward it in your absence?"

Kaname's eyes darkened. "I have no desire to waste my time speaking with you, and dawn is almost here. Leave."

Kaname's voice was dark and dangerous. Threatening in a way she'd never heard before.

"No," she said, her hand going to Artemis to protect herself. Kaname couldn't really mean what he was saying, not unless everything from before had been a lie. Something must have happened to him, something she didn't know about.

Kaname's eyes dropped to her hand and his eyes widened. The next moment, he was right in front of her, one hand wrapped around her throat. "You dare," he hissed, his eyes bright red in the darkness. "You dare use _her_ weapon? Did you take it off her dead body?" He lifted Yuki off her feet and she choked as she grabbed futilely at his powerful hand. "You defile it," he snarled. "You're not worthy of it."

With a fling of his arm, he tossed her at one of the massive windows. The glass shattered under the impact of her body. She had time to think that while she could survive a fall from the second story, she wasn't likely to if she landed on her back.

Kaname turned from the window when a rich scent caught his attention. His claws had nicked the woman through her clothing when he'd grabbed her neck. It took him only a second to process that he knew this scent, that it was the most precious scent in all the world to him. Yuki.

 **A/N:** I really enjoy ending on cliffhangers J


	13. Reunion

**Chapter 13: Reunion**

The moment Kaname recognized the smell of the blood, he launched himself out the window. Reaching the ground before the falling figure, he caught her in his arms and held her close.

The faint smell of her blood still hung in the air. He switched his hold on her so he cradled her in only one arm. With his free hand, he gently removed the gray mask to reveal…"Yuki," he breathed, enthralled at the sight of her. Her hair was longer than it'd been the last time he saw her, but the rest looked the same. Smooth, pale skin with wide, dark eyes.

"Yuki," he said again, gently running the backs of his fingers down her face. "Why didn't you tell me it was you?" He'd thought her dead. Takuma and the others had told him she was dead. For _months_ he'd drowned in despair as he thought his only love was lost to him forever, yet here she was in his arms. Whoever had contrived the lie that Yuki was dead would pay dearly. "Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"

A light flush covered Yuki's cheeks and she appeared flustered. The sight warmed Kaname's heart. She was still the same Yuki.

"I-I just found out today that you were awake. How is this possible, Kaname? Everyone said you would sleep for centuries."

They needed to talk. Kaname knew they needed to talk, but all he wanted was to hold her close and bask in her presence, bask in the fact that Yuki was alive and safe. Or, better yet, turn her back into a vampire, and _then_ bask in her presence.

"I'm not sure," Kaname said honestly. He hadn't thought much about the fact that he'd been awakened, other than the fact that he didn't want to live in a world without Yuki. Her hand clutched his shirt, though he didn't think she was aware she was doing it. It pleased him that even unconsciously she wanted to be closer to him.

"We can figure that out later, Yuki," he said, brushing a kiss against her forehead. There was so much to talk about. He needed to tell Yuki the truth about her past, the truth of them being engaged, but he couldn't make himself focus on anything other than the scent and sight of her.

Yuki's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean figure it out later? What else would we do?"

She began trying to get down. Kaname reluctantly put her back on her feet, but kept one arm wrapped around her waist. He caught her chin with his other hand and tilted her head up so he could stare into her eyes. "Yuki." He couldn't get enough of saying her name. He would never tire of saying her name. "I've spent months believing you were dead and lost to me forever. You spent years believing you would never see me again. Now that we are finally together again, is my revival the only thing you wish to discuss with me? Is my returned presence in your life nothing more than a mystery to solve to you?"

Yuki shook her head. "Of course not. I'm just trying to make sense of it all. I don't know what to think, Kaname. I haven't had enough time to process you being back."

"I've had even less time than you," Kaname pointed out, taking one of her hands and kissing her fingers. "All I know is that I want you with me." He realized that he now desperately needed to have the mansion cleaned. He couldn't allow Yuki to stay in such a filthy place. She deserved much better than that.

Yuki seemed entranced for a moment before she shook her head and pulled away from him. Kaname felt cold at the loss of contact.

"No, no, this isn't why I came here," Yuki said, shaking her head and backing up a few more steps. "I didn't come here to find out why you woke or…or to…reunite with you. I came to find out if you still believe in peace between humans and vampires." Her eyes became determined and focused. It was another look Kaname remembered well. "Obviously, the answer is no, which I can't understand. You sacrificed your heart for the sake of humans, didn't you? The vampire hunters' weapons would have failed if you hadn't. You gave up your heart so the Hunter Association could continue to protect humans from vampires, and during your life you worked with Cross to create better relationships between humans and vampires. Why has that changed?"

Kaname didn't know what to say. How could he explain that without Yuki, nothing in his life had meaning? She didn't know how much he loved her. He hadn't told her he loved her at all before sacrificing his heart. He'd been afraid that if he admitted it to her, he wouldn't have been able to leave her.

"I can explain, Yuki," he said, holding one hand out to her. "But it will take time…There are many things you are unaware of."

Yuki made no move toward him. She wanted to go to him. She wanted to believe his words and hear what he had to say…but she'd already come to hear his words, and nothing he'd had to say had been good. "You can explain how despite the fact that you've been awake for months, the relations between humans and vampires are worse than ever? You can explain how even though Takuma is working so hard to create peace between vampires and humans, you're doing nothing to help him?"

The sky was lightening now, though the sun hadn't risen above the horizon yet. Suddenly, Kaname's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at something behind Yuki. She turned to see Taicho along with a small crowd of hunters.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked in surprise.

"I apologize, Yuki," Taicho said. "Zero was concerned about you and asked me to check on you. When you weren't in your room, I was afraid something might have happened to you." Part of Taicho had wondered if in his jealousy Zero had exaggerated Kaname's feelings for Yuki. He didn't think that anymore. Taicho had been present long enough to hear that even though Kaname had just found out Yuki was alive, he was already trying to convince her to come with him. Why? And it wasn't just that. Kaname's attention had been so focused on Yuki, the hunters had gotten quite close before Kaname gave any sign of noticing them. Why was this pureblood so enamored with a human woman?

"Are you ready to come back, Yuki?" He asked carefully. He didn't miss the vampire twitching. Or the way his eyes now glowed red.

The appearance of the vampire hunters enraged Kaname. How dare they try to take Yuki away from him? Kaname's voice was deceptively soft when he spoke. "And what, little hunters, makes you believe you have the right to interfere here?"

Taicho's hand slowly moved toward his weapon. "Yuki is one of us," he said. "We will always interfere if she needs us." Well, he and Zero would. He knew some hunters resented the relationship Yuki had with some vampires. Though Kaname barely moved, his whole manor radiated menace. Taicho wondered what he could do to lessen the animosity here. Vampire society would be in an uproar if the Hunter Association killed a pureblood, especially one who'd once given his heart to the hunters. Of course, that was assuming they actually had the firepower to harm Kuran and he didn't simply kill them all instead.

Yuki moved to stand protectively in front of Taicho. "This is my friend," she said. "I won't let you hurt him."

Amazingly, the vampire calmed down. His eyes stopped glowing and he moved to a more relaxed stance. "All right," Kuran said with a nod. "I will speak with you later, Yuki."

Yuki hesitated for a moment before nodding once and then they left. Taicho had to resist the urge to keep looking over his shoulder to see if Kuran wasn't simply waiting until their backs were turned before killing them.

~.~

"I'm sorry to ask a request of you as the sun is rising," Kaname said to Seiren. "But I need you to follow the hunters. Be discreet, but unless Yuki is with me, you must shadow her at all times and protect her. I will not allow any harm to come to her."

Seiren bowed with one hand over her heart and then left.

~.~

The look on Zero's face when Taicho walked Yuki into his office was not a happy one.

"You went looking for him?" Zero demanded once Taicho had left. He stood with his back facing his window, the curtains drawn to block out the sun. "After I told you to be careful, you went _looking_ for him?"

"I was careful," Yuki said, lifting her chin defiantly. She wouldn't let Zero make her feel bad for what she'd done. Regardless of whatever might be going on, Zero should have told Yuki about Kaname and they both knew it.

"Well?" Zero asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Am I right about Kuran? Right that he doesn't care about humanity and that relations between humans and vampires mean nothing to him?"

Yuki stared down at her hands, recalling Kaname's harsh words. There had been no compassion in him at all. "Yes," Yuki admitted. "You were right." She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "But Kaname said he wants to explain."

Zero stared at her for a moment before exploding. "Are you serious?!" He yelled. "Are you really doing this, Yuki? Things have gotten _worse_ since he reappeared and he _doesn't_ care. All the people who have died or been hurt mean nothing to him and you think there's a good explanation for this? If it were any other vampire in the world you wouldn't believe what he was saying for even a moment, but because it's your precious Kaname, you'll forgive him anything and blindly trust his every word."

Yuki flushed. "That's not true! We have no idea what's happened to Kaname or why he's doing what he's doing. After all the work he did before, after sacrificing his heart, he deserves to have his side of the story listened to."

Zero scoffed. "Because he's back, vampires are out of control and he's doing nothing about it. There _is_ no other side to this. You are the same, stupid besotted girl you were when we were kids, blind to every fault Kuran possesses."

With a parting glare for Zero, Yuki spun around and stomped out of the room, her hands curled into fists. She wanted to talk to Takuma and see what he had to say about everything. However, it was rude to go to a vampire's house during the day and she didn't want to disturb all the vampires living there. Her new phone didn't have Takuma's cell number, but she knew of someone who probably had it.

~.~

"It's so wonderful to see my daughter," Kaien said, squeezing Yuki close as he twirled them around his office. "You don't come to visit me near as often as you should," he admonished, pulling back to look into Yuki's face. His eyes tightened in concern. "You look tired. Has something happened?"

Although Kaien now only ran a school for the Day Class (he held onto the hope that one day the Night Class could be reestablished), Yuki realized he still might know something. "Do you know what's going on in vampire society these days?" She asked, extracting herself from her adopted father's hold.

He hesitated. "I don't know near as much as I used to. I'm not very involved like I was before. Takuma has reached out to me recently for advice on how to improve relations between humans and vampires, and…" He studied Yuki's face carefully. "He told me he's trying to get Kaname involved to give him a purpose."

"A purpose?" Yuki asked, confused. Then she thought about how Kaname was living in a dusty old mansion alone and sitting in the corner of an unused ballroom. Why _was_ Kaname living like that?

Kaien nodded, eyes still on Yuki. "Yes, Kaname was rather depressed when he heard you were dead…and I was rather surprised to hear Takuma say that when I knew you were resting quite fine under the care of a doctor. I mean, yes you were taken off active duty, but I figured there was a reason Takuma and the other vampires thought you were dead, so I didn't correct him. I did try to call you several times to figure out what was going on, but you didn't return any of my calls." He pouted. When Yuki didn't react, he finally asked, "Why _do_ Kaname and Takuma think you're dead, Yuki?"

"It was Zero's idea," Yuki said absently. So even Takuma couldn't get Kaname to care about humans. What did all this mean? "And I wasn't off active duty, I was just fighting as the Gray Lady."

"The Gray Lady!?" Kaien exclaimed. "I've heard about her. Takuma won't shut up about her. He adores you as the Gray Lady, do you know that? He wants to work with you." He peered at Yuki curiously for a moment. "Will you work with him, Yuki? Will you let him know you're alive and help him?"

Yuki thought of all the times she'd wished the Vampire Hunter Association would work with the former Night Class. Why had she always listened to Zero's refusals to do so? Why hadn't she ever gone off on her own and worked with Takuma? She couldn't seem to think of a good reason for it now.

"I actually came here to use your phone and speak with Takuma," Yuki said. "I lost his number, but I assumed you have it."

"I do, I do!" Kaien nodded his head enthusiastically, rushing to his desk and grabbing his cell phone. He presented it to Yuki like it was a precious pearl. "Use it as long as you like."

"Thanks," Yuki said, accepting the phone and bringing it to an empty room. She didn't want an audience for this conversation.

Takuma picked up on the third ring. He yawned before saying, "Why are you calling so early, Cross? Did something happen?"

"This isn't Cross," Yuki said.

There was a pause. When Takuma next spoke, he sounded much more awake. "Who is this?" He demanded. "What have you done with Cross?"

"Borrowed his phone," Yuki said dryly. "This is Yuki Cross."

Silence. "Yuki Cross is dead," Takuma said darkly. Yuki had never heard him sound so angry before. "And I don't find this joke amusing. Where is Cross?"

"You and I saw each other a few times before the Night Class began," Yuki said. "Though we weren't formally introduced until after. We only saw each other before that because of Kaname. I was part of the disciplinary committee along with Zero. You invited me to your eighteenth birthday. After I joined the Hunter Association, you and I become friends because we shared the same dream, a dream that no one else seemed to support or care about."

"Yuki…" Takuma breathed. "But I saw you fall off the roof of Aido's mansion. There's no way a human could have survived that fall."

"Zero caught me."

"Zero?" Takuma asked. He went silent again, then with feeling said, "That _bastard_. He found out Kaname is alive and let us believe you were dead, didn't he? Did _you_ know that Kaname is back? Zero probably hid that from you. Have you seen Kaname? Do you know where he is? Does he know your alive? You have to go see him."

Takuma fired off his questions so quickly that Yuki could barely keep track of them. "Yes, Zero let you believe I died because Kaname returned, and yes, I didn't know until last night. Yes, Kaname knows I'm alive and I've seen him."

"Good, good, but…why aren't you with Kaname right now?"

Yuki's brow furrowed. Why would Takuma assume Yuki should be with Kaname? Yes, Kaname would want to know that Yuki was alive, but she'd just told Takuma that Kaname already knew.  
"I-well, Kaname and I have a lot of things to talk about, but the sun came up and then hunters arrived." She still didn't know how she felt about Kaname's attitude toward human and vampire relations. She intended to listen to what he had to say, but their conversation from earlier still upset her.

"Yes, you do," Takuma said. "I'm sure you're feeling confused after talking with Kaname. There was so much you didn't know, but I'm so glad you're back. Now everything will be all right."

Why would everything be okay just because Yuki was here? "Yes, I am confused. Kaname said he doesn't care about human and vampire relations at all. He said it has nothing to do with him."

"Kaname said that to you?" Takuma asked, sounding surprised. "And that's _all_ you talked about? Kaname didn't mention anything else? Anything else at all?"

Yuki rubbed her forehead. She'd been awake for over twenty-four hours and her brain function was diminishing by the moment. It was a struggle to focus on Takuma's words. "He didn't tell _me_ that, he told the Gray Lady."

"You know who the Gray Lady is?!" Takuma exclaimed. "You have to tell me, Yuki! She has to help us! We have the same goals. Have you known her all along?"

"I _am_ her," Yuki said tiredly. "Zero convinced me I shouldn't trust Kaname without knowing more about what was going on, so I visited him as the Gray Lady, though he figured out it was me."

"You need to talk to Kaname again, Yuki," Takuma said fiercely. "It's really important. There's still a lot of things you need to hear." The odd portrait with Yuki and Kaname as children flashed through Yuki's mind. "Go see him again tonight, okay?"

"I will," Yuki agreed, swaying as sleep tried to overcome her exhausted body. She hung up before finding a convenient place to collapse into a dreamless sleep.


	14. Reveal

**Chapter 14: Reveal**

"How is she?" Kaname asked Seiren on his brand new cell phone. Seiren had contacted Takuma a few hours ago, who had immediately gotten both Kaname and Seiren cell phones.

"She's safe," Seiren reported. "She's sleeping in Cross' academy right now."

"Good," Kaname said before hanging up. Though he was grateful for the news, his heart ached. Yuki was alive and she wasn't with him. There was something terribly wrong with that situation. Yuki should be by his side where he could protect her.

Their visit early that morning had not gone well at all. If only Kaname had known Yuki was alive, he could have planned out their conversation perfectly and convinced her to stay with him. He could think of nothing but her absence now. And the fact that someone had purposefully led him to believe his precious girl was dead. He could only think of one possible person who would desire for Kaname to believe Yuki dead. Kiryu.

Kaname's dark thoughts of all he wanted to do to Kiryu in retaliation caused the window behind him to splinter. Putting one hand to his face, Kaname tried to get ahold of his powers. He was supposed to be putting the mansion back together, not destroying it, but thoughts of Kiryu brought up other fears.

What if Kiryu and Yuki had become lovers in his absence as Kaname had feared they would? The thought of Yuki in another man's arms was unbearable. But…after leaving Kaname that morning, Yuki had not stayed with Zero at the Vampire Hunter Association. Instead, she'd gone to visit her adopted father. Kaname took that to be a good sign.

~.~

Yuki woke up disoriented. She blinked as she looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. It took her a moment to remember the events of last night and this morning and to recall why she wasn't in her room. She was at Cross' Academy.

Looking down at her clothes from the night before, Yuki grimaced. She needed a shower and a change of clothes before she went to visit Kaname. Flushing at the thought, Yuki told herself it was only common politeness to make herself presentable and _not_ because she wanted to look good for Kaname.

~.~

Kaname waited by the door in agitation, grateful he'd been able to call in a service to clean up the mansion. It had been no small task getting it cleaned in less than a day, but if you throw enough money at people, they'll do nearly anything for you.

Seiren had called Kaname a few minutes before to let him know Yuki appeared to be on her way to the Kuran mansion. He hadn't expected Yuki to come back so soon, had thought that he would need to go to her, but was pleased she was coming to him.

Unfortunately, his focus on making the mansion presentable and his assumption that he wouldn't see Yuki yet meant he had not spent enough time thinking of how best to tell her all he needed to. Kaname had lied to Yuki. First, by omission for most of her life, and then an outright lie. She wouldn't be pleased and he knew it. He had to explain why he'd done, how all of it had been for her protection, how devastating it had been for him to not have Yuki remember him or know what they were to each other.

He couldn't remember ever feeling so vulnerable in his very long life. Yuki meant everything to him. He hoped and prayed she would forgive him, would accept him, would accept her true self. If she wouldn't, if she couldn't…it still would not change some of Kaname's actions. He would not allow her to die. He would not go back to the bleak and meaningless existence he'd had before her. He just hoped he managed to gain her permission before he changed her back into her true form.

He heard her approaching and opened the door before she could knock. She looked up at him in surprise and he smiled gently down at her. A blush covered her cheeks and she looked down for a moment. Kaname's heartbeat picked up hopefully. She was reacting to him the same way she used to. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

"Hello, Yuki," Kaname greeted, stepping back to allow her inside.

Yuki stopped in surprise after entering the foyer. "What happened here?" She asked, looking around at the sparkling elegance.

"I'm afraid I have been remiss in restoring the Kuran mansion to its former glory," Kaname said. "I decided to take care of that today." It was an effort not to reach out and touch her, to caress her face and hair, to gather her in his arms and reassure himself that she was alive and safe. It seemed like a miracle she was standing in front of him. A miracle he didn't want to waste or lose.

A change seemed to come over Yuki and she straightened her back, her eyes looking determined as she turned to him. "You said you had an explanation, Kaname. I've come to hear it."

"Yes, of course," Kaname said with a nod. "I'm grateful you're willing to listen to what I have to say."

Unable to help himself, he ran the back of one finger down Yuki's cheek. Her skin was as soft as he remembered. Subtly, she moved back, away from him. The action caused a pang of pain in Kaname's chest. Patient. He had to be patient with her. Part of him yelled that he'd already waited ten thousand years for her. Didn't that mean he deserved to be a little greedy now? He pushed those thoughts aside.

Now, how to explain everything without scaring her away? He pondered that as he led her passed the living room. He didn't miss her peeking in to look at the portrait. Of course that portrait would only have put more questions in her mind, but it didn't matter at this point. He intended to tell her everything. Though he was afraid of what might happen, it was a relief to finally be able to tell her. It had been agony for her to not know, to not remember. He would finally be able to rectify that travesty this night.

Kaname led Yuki to the basement. It had been the only part of the mansion she'd lived in as a child for her own safety, to hide her existence from the rest of vampire society.

"Um, Kaname?" Yuki asked hesitantly as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Why are you bringing me down here?"

"Because this was your home," Kaname answered, turning to face her. He wished that something here would look familiar to her, that something would spark a memory, but he knew it wouldn't. It had only been a few years since he'd reinforced the seal on Yuki's memories. She wouldn't remember anything until he removed the seal.

"My home?" Yuki asked, looking around the room uncertainly. "But we're in the Kuran mansion. You said that my family took you in, not that your family took me in."

Kaname nodded. "Yes, your parents took me in and raised me like their own son. Your parents were Haruka and Juri Kuran."

Yuki stared at Kaname in disbelief before shaking her head back and forth. "I'm not a Kuran, Kaname, I'm not a vampire. Wait, the Kurans weren't vampires? You took on my family's last name?" Her face was scrunched in confusion as she tried to think through Kaname's words.

"No," Kaname said. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure where the best place to start is. Please, sit down." He gestured to the couch. For a moment he thought Yuki would refuse. She looked on edge. Finally, she sat and Kaname sat a few feet away from her.

"I'm going to ask you not to interrupt me," Kaname told her. "I promise after I finish you can ask me as many questions as you wish and I will answer them, but it's…difficult for me to explain all this to you."

He waited for Yuki to nod, then he began. He told her about being one of the first vampires and outliving all the others. About his long existence and growing tired of life, so placing himself in a form of stasis. Then he told her about Rido and being brought back, about his Kuran descendants raising him as their son.

Yuki had been looking at him during the first part of his story, but she turned to stare at the wall as Kaname explained her birth and the events that followed. He told her of Juri's sacrifice to seal away her vampire genes and of taking her to Cross, both actions done to protect her from Rido.

As he spoke, Yuki's hands curled into tighter and tighter fists on her lap. Finally, she jumped to her feet. "This is ridiculous!" She burst out. "I'm supposed to believe that I'm a vampire? And that you're my ancestor?"

Kaname looked into her panicked eyes. Her eyes didn't say that she thought he was lying. They said she was overwhelmed and didn't know what to think, what to believe.

Wordlessly, he grabbed Juri's old photo album, which he'd placed downstairs earlier that day, and handed it to Yuki. She was quiet as she flipped through the old photos of them together as children along with their parents.

"This is ridiculous," she whispered. "Are you telling me most of my life I've been in love with a man who is both my brother and my ancestor?"

Kaname froze. Love. Yuki had just said love, that she loved _him._ Or, at least, that she had loved him. Of course, she'd told him that once before, shortly before he sacrificed himself, but it still felt exhilarating to hear it from her own lips.

Moving down the couch until he sat next to her, Kaname cupped Yuki's cheek in one hand and turned her to face him. "I'm not your brother," he told her. "Not really, despite how we were raised. And I'm your ancestor so far back we share little genetics. Not that it would matter either way, purebloods regularly marry their siblings. Juri and Haruka were brother and sister."

Yuki stared at him before moving away from his touch. Kaname clenched the hand that had been holding her face so tightly he drew blood. He wanted to turn her into a vampire now. For one, she would be better protected as a vampire, and two, if she had her childhood memories this would all be so much easier for her to process, for her to accept. He knew it was a lot to take in all at once, but he also knew that Yuki wouldn't want him to tell her the truth piece by piece. Neither did he. He couldn't stand the thought of Yuki leaving him after each explanation, confused and possibly upset.

She jumped to her feet again, pacing this time. It seemed there was too much going on inside her head for her to sit still.

"If I changed you back into a vampire, you would regain your memories," Kaname said. He didn't look at Yuki as he said this. Though he planned to turn her into a vampire eventually regardless of whether she agreed or not, for the moment he didn't want her to feel like he was pressuring her.

Her eyes jumped to the album she'd left on the couch. "I want to remember them," she said softly. "They seem like such loving parents. I want to remember them…and you, to remember our life together."

Kaname's heart clenched. _Our life together._ He loved those words. He wanted to live their lives together once again.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Yuki asked, looking betrayed. "Even at the very end before you sacrificed yourself, you still didn't tell me the whole truth. I could have helped you!"

"It was to protect you," Kaname said. "I had to protect you from Rido, I had to make sure Juri's sacrifice wasn't in vain. And at the end…even after Rido died…what would have been the point in telling you, in letting you regain your lost memories? It would have only caused you more pain, and there was nothing you could have done to help me."

"So you decided to keep my memories secret on your own?" Yuki asked, angry. "You decided you knew what was best for me? That I didn't have a right to know the truth about my own parents, about my own past? Do you know how much not knowing scared me? How uncertain and lost I felt about it?"

"I'm sorry," Kaname said, his eyes full of sorrow as he looked into Yuki's. "But do you think it wasn't painful for me as well? Do you think I didn't regret the necessity of it? You didn't remember me. I was right in front of you, and you had no idea who I was. There was even a moment when you were afraid of me. Day after day I had to see you and have you not know who I was to you, what we were to each other. Everything I did was to protect you."

Yuki seemed uncertain now. They stayed in silence before Yuki turned away. "You still haven't answered the question I came here in the first place for," she said. "Before you helped Cross try to create a world where vampires and humans lived together in peace, but since your return you've done nothing, and last night you told me you didn't care about any of that."

In a flash, Kaname was behind Yuki. His chest pressed against her back and his hand gripping one of hers. He leaned down to speak into her ear. "You were gone," he breathed. "I thought you were dead and lost to me forever. Nothing mattered to me, Yuki. You saw me, saw the state the mansion was in. Did I look like a man who cared about anything to you?"

Yuki extracted her hand to turn and stare at Kaname. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Don't understand?" Kaname asked, one arm wrapping around Yuki's waist and pulling her against him. "I told you I put myself into stasis before because my life had no meaning. I wanted to die and couldn't. _You_ made me want to live. You gave my life light and purpose. I told you _everything_ I did was to protect you, to keep you safe. Working with Cross, fighting for better relations with humans, opposing the Vampire Senate. The one act I did that wasn't for you alone was to sacrifice my heart to the furnace. I knew it would have to be done soon, that I would have to do it, which was why I didn't tell you the truth."

He paused, staring down at her beloved face. "I've had enough of giving my power to the world and sacrificing my happiness for others," Kaname breathed. "You are my everything, Yuki. I let duty come between us before, but I will allow nothing to come between us again."

He bent and kissed her, his free hand coming up to cup her chin. Yuki made a sound of surprise, then her hands came up and clutched at Kaname's shirt, pulling him closer. Kaname felt himself relax in what felt like the first time in centuries. Yuki knew the truth and was in his arms and kissing him. All was right with his world.


	15. For Her

**Chapter 15: For Her**

Yuki lost herself in the feel of Kaname's lips on hers and his arm around her waist. The hand cupping her chin moved to bury itself in her hair, tilting her head as he deepened the kiss. Unconsciously, Yuki's hands let go of Kaname's shirt to curl around his neck instead, pressing her body closer to his. Kaname made a pleased sound deep in his throat and tightened his hand around her waist.

Yuki wasn't sure how long they stood like that for before Kaname pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavy as they stared into each other's eyes and Yuki could feel her cheeks blazing red. It felt so _right_ to be in Kaname's arms. To have him here with her again. Her chest ached as she thought of the years they'd been separated, of the years she'd had no idea that Kaname had always been someone precious to her. She wanted those memories back.

"You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this," Kaname murmured. He laid a kiss on Yuki's cheek before leaving a trail of kisses down Yuki's neck.

Yuki blushed and clutched at Kaname's hair. He paused when he reached her pulse and she felt his hot breath against her neck. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Kaname!" She yelled, trying to pull away. His strength prevented her from moving even an inch, but he stopped what he was doing and raised his head. His eyes were glowing red.

"You were going to bite me," she accused, covering her neck with one hand.

Kaname closed his eyes, looking like he was in pain. When he opened his eyes again, they were no longer glowing. "I'm sorry," he said, carefully stepping back from her. "I lost myself for a moment."

Yuki stared at him with untrusting eyes, hurt that he would try to bite her without her permission. Is that how he would turn her back into a vampire? Yuki didn't even know if she _wanted_ to be turned back into a vampire. The knowledge that she used to be one, that her mother had sacrificed her life to make Yuki human, still hadn't sunk in yet.

There was a time when Yuki would have chosen to become a vampire so she could stay by Kaname's side for as long as possible, but that was years ago. She needed time to think. There was also Kaname's recent actions, or recent non-action, as the case was, to consider.

"I'm sorry, Yuki," Kaname apologized. "To learn that you are alive, to have you here in my arms…you don't understand how hard it is for me to hold back."

Yuki didn't know how to respond to that, so instead she focused on the reason she had come here in the first place. "I know you said that you couldn't…couldn't find it in you to care enough to bother with human and vampire relations, but your reappearance has led to the death and harm of more humans, and in turn the death of more vampires, and you've done nothing." She steeled herself to say what she felt was right. "I'm sorry you were hurting, but that doesn't excuse ignoring the pain and safety of others. I don't approve of your choices, Kaname."

Kaname's eyes flashed and he stepped close to her. Yuki flinched and had to force herself to not take a step back. "You cannot possibly understand," he said, his voice deceptively soft as one hand gently cupped the side of her face, "what it is like to have an utterly barren existence devoid of all meaning. And then, miraculously, to have a light in your world that outshines everything, to finally have a reason for living, and then to lose that reason."

Yuki wavered, then one hand came up to remove Kaname's hand from her cheek, though she gripped it between her own. "No, I don't understand what that's like, but I know that you have to _make_ meaning for yourself, Kaname! You can't just wallow in your pain and ignore the world around you, especially not when you have the power to make it better. That's not an excuse."

Sighing, Kaname shook his head. "You are still a child, Yuki. You're only nineteen while I am ten thousand. You know nothing of true pain and despair."

Yuki's feelings warred with the expression on Kaname's face. She believed strongly that someone should always do what they could for others. To ignore the plight of others because of your own pain was unforgiveable…but she _didn't_ understand anything of what it would be like to be thousands of years old and lose everything and everyone around you. She couldn't claim to know anything of what Kaname was feeling. She needed time to think.

"I'm sorry," she said, dropping Kaname's hand and stepping back. "This is all too much right now. I'm glad you were honest with me, but I…I need to think. I need time, Kaname."

His eyes held a world of pain and sorrow as he watched her walk away. "Would you condemn me to an eternity alone?" He asked.

Yuki's heart clenched and she almost changed her mind. "I-I'll be back," she promised. "As soon as I can."

Once outside the mansion, Yuki paused. Her first inclination had been to go home, to the Vampire Hunter Association, but she didn't want to see Zero. He'd purposefully lied to her because he hadn't wanted her to go back to Kaname. He'd always hated Kaname, regardless of all the good things the vampire had done. The only other home she remembered knowing was with Cross…but he must have known all this. He'd been a vampire hunter for decades before opening the school. He had to have known about the Kurans, had to have heard the truth from Kaname when Kaname brought her to him.

Kaname, Zero, and Cross, the three most important men in her life had all lied to her. An ache settled in her chest. She didn't want to see any of them right now. She needed space if she was going to be able to think clearly. Then she remembered she did have a place to go. She had a dear friend who had never lied to her or tried to deceive her.

~.~

A few days after Yuki left, Kaname received a half-panicked call from Cross. "Do you know where my dear Yuki is? Zero called and none of the hunters have seen or heard from her for days. Is she hiding out with you? I know the two of you might be all lovey-dovey trying to make up for lost time, but please don't hide my precious daughter away without telling anyone."

Cross' words irritated Kaname. They were a reminder that Yuki _wasn't_ with him. Though he didn't believe it would last. Yuki's reaction to him had shown she clearly still had feelings for him, and he couldn't blame her for feeling confused.

"No," Kaname answered. "She isn't with me, but she's safe." Of course he knew where Yuki was. The moment she'd left, Seiren had followed her. He would not allow Yuki to be out of his protection again.

He could practically feel Cross' pout through the phone. "Then where is she? What is she doing?"

"I told her the truth," Kaname explained. "All of it. She needs time to think things through. Let her be for now."

"I'm surprised you're being so patient," Cross commented. "You weren't able to get close to her before like you wanted to. Now you don't have any barriers in your way."

Kaname fought the urge to grit his teeth. Was Cross purposefully trying to pour salt into Kaname's wound? "I can be patient for her." He said before hanging up.

Kaname's thoughts turned to what he should be doing while Yuki was taking time for herself. Part of why Yuki cared for him was because she considered him to be a kind and gentle vampire. He could be when she was involved, though that wasn't his natural personality. For her, he would be anything.

She believed him a great proponent of peace between humans and vampires, because he'd fought for it before. If that was what she wanted from him, that was what he'd give her. He'd prove to her that he could be the man she thought him to be. He took out his phone and called Takuma.

~.~

"Mistress Sara," Kyo said, bowing his head obsequiously. Part of him hated to show deference to a pureblood, but if he and his companions had had a pureblood on their side when they fought the vampire hunters and former Night Class vampires weeks ago, perhaps his four companions wouldn't have been killed. "It appears that Kuran has finally made his move."

"Oh?" Sara asked, her voice light and airy. Her tone said she was only casually interested, but Kyo knew that wasn't the truth. "And what did you find out?"

"He's reorganizing the Vampire Senate with himself at the head," Kyo said cautiously. He knew very well that Sara was more than happy to blame the messenger. "Most of the members are from the Night Class, though he's chosen a few older vampires to join the new senate as well."

"Mm," Sara's mouth turned down at the corners, a sign she was unhappy. She berated herself for not making her move to become queen of the vampires sooner, but she'd been moving slowly. Creating a monarchy wasn't something that could be done overnight, and she'd had the time to move slowly. Or, she _should_ have had the time to move slowly. Kaname was still supposed to be asleep for centuries. The reminder that he was awake enraged her. She knew she could not face Kaname head on and win.

"Kyo," she said sweetly. He flinched. "From all my research, it appears the night everything went wrong for your group is the same night Kaname awoke. That seems too odd to be a coincidence, don't you think? Perhaps there's something that happened that night that you forgot to tell me?"

Kyo gulped. He had a theory, but it was a ridiculous theory. He'd thought about that night over and over again after he'd learned that Kuran's body had been hidden in the basement. His mind flashed to Akane attacking the little hunter girl, the adopted daughter of the famous vampire hunter Cross. The girl's blood had dripped into the basement.

Was it possible her blood had dripped onto Kuran and revitalized him? The chances of her blood dripping right in the correct spot to hit Kuran were huge, and the thought of a mere human's blood somehow awakening a vampire from what was supposed to be in a centuries' long sleep was ridiculous, but he couldn't think of anything else. Nothing else had happened that night that should have affected Kuran in anyway. There were also the rumors that Kuran had paid on inordinate amount of attention to the Cross girl. Was it possible there was something special about her?

"W-well," Kyo began, "there was a girl whose blood might have awakened Kuran, but I'm not sure. It's the Cross girl, the one he was always protecting and taking care of."

Sara's eyes gleamed. "A girl with blood powerful enough to do such a thing?" She tilted her head as she considered the thought. "I suppose such a thing might be possible. Find her and bring her to me. If her blood is truly powerful enough to wake Kaname from his sleep, it might make me powerful enough to defeat him. Go."


	16. Danger

**A/N:** Sorry this is a week late! I left for vacation last weekend and forgot to post this beforehand. I'll try to get another chapter up tomorrow to make up for it. Thank you everyone for your patience with my lateness

 **Chapter 16: Danger**

Sitting on a windowsill, Yuki stared down at the city as her thoughts whirled around inside her head. How could a being as old and powerful as Kaname possibly feel so strongly for her? Could her supposed death have really hurt Kaname so badly that he lost the will to do anything? She remembered the sight of him sitting in the corner of a dark and dusty ballroom all by himself and her heart clenched at the memory.

"Yuki?" Sayori said, her face suddenly appearing in Yuki's line of sight. "Are you okay?"

Yuki jumped in surprise. "Sorry, Sayori," Yuki said with an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of her head. "I got lost in thought."

"You've been doing that a lot since you came to visit me," Sayori said.

Yuki had been staying with Sayori at her dorm apartment for two weeks. Yuki hadn't given a reason for showing up suddenly, but Sayori was used to Yuki having her secrets. Sayori had always known that Yuki had aspects of her life she simply seemed unable to share with others. Despite Yuki's secrets, the two were as close as they'd always been, though they spent less time together now. Sayori was attending college while Yuki…did some sort of work for her father. At least, that's what she said she did.

"Anyway, I came to get you for dinner," Sayori said. "It's ready."

"Sorry," Yuki apologized again. "I should have helped."

"Don't worry about it," Sayori said with a smile that grew bigger as she said, "You can take care of the cleanup!"

~.~

When the sun went down, Seiren moved onto the rooftop of the building across the street from Sayori Wakaba's apartment. Seiren was amazed Kaname was allowing Yuki such leeway when Seiren had some idea of how desperately he wanted Yuki by his side. Of course, he knew that Yuki was safe with Seiren watching over her.

On one hand, Seiren was pleased Kaname still held so much faith in her. On the other hand, she was displeased that Yuki was being so obstinate. She didn't know what had transpired between the human girl and her master, but she wished Yuki would see reason and return to Kaname soon.

However, she could only allow herself to be a little irritated with the Cross girl. Thanks to her, Kaname was accepting the role that had belonged to him all along. In a few short weeks he'd managed to reorganize a vampire senate with himself at the head. With vampire society in such disarray at the moment, he was taking on the role of king. They all knew that vampires would need a firm hand to be reined in and Kaname was the perfect one for the job. While he'd said that for now the position was only temporary, Seiren hoped Kaname would retain the title of king.

All the former members of the Night Class knew Kaname would make a great king. There was no better choice and the previous vampire senate had already proved itself to be only partially successful. Vampires were not humans and any form of democracy could only suit such a powerful and dangerous race as well as they were willing to let it. Seiren firmly felt it was time to reestablish the monarchy under the Kuran family.

Seiren paused in her thoughts as she spotted motion on the outside of Wakaba's apartment building. Half a dozen figures were climbing straight up the brick façade. Vampires.

~.~

"Thank you so much for dinner, Sayori, it was great as usual!" Yuki complimented as she dug her hands into the soapy water to wash her plate. "I'll go shopping tomorrow and buy groceries, okay?" When Yuki initially brought home groceries, Sayori protested, but Yuki refused to take more advantage of her friend's generosity than she already had.

While she was getting her head together and trying to deal with the fact that her adopted father, her best friend, and the love of her life had all lied to her repeatedly, Sayori offered a safe haven for Yuki, allowing her to sleep on the floor on an air mattress. Sayori tried to take the air mattress, but Yuki abjectly refused to sleep on Sayori's bed while Sayori slept on the mattress. As always, she owed her friend a lot for being exactly the kind of friend she needed when she needed it.

The doorbell rang and Sayori startled in surprise. "I wonder who that could be," she murmured as she walked to the door.

Yuki craned her neck trying to look at the front door from the kitchen sink, wondering if it was Sayori's boyfriend dropping by to surprise Sayori and if she should find an excuse to be somewhere else for the evening. Her attention was distracted when she heard the shattering of glass from the other side of the apartment, and then a strangled yell.

Too surprised to drop the glass cup in her hand, Yuki ran to the window she'd been looking out half an hour before as she dimly heard Sayori say, "I'm sorry, who is it you said you're looking for?"

The window looking out into the city was smashed. A young man in dark clothing lay curled on the floor, his hand wrapped around his bleeding neck. Yuki glanced from the man to the window in surprise and saw another man trying to climb through the window before something yanked him back. His eyes widened in terror and the next moment Yuki saw him falling straight toward the street.

Seiren appeared in the window and Yuki gasped. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"You're in danger," Seiren said, eyes sharp as she looked around the apartment. Her eyes went toward the front door even as she threw a knife into the heart of the man who was curled on the floor.

Yuki gasped again, then finally realized that normal men couldn't climb up the outside of an apartment building and enter through a window on the fourth floor. They were vampires, and Seiren they were here because Yuki was here. But why?

"Come," Seiren ordered imperiously, holding one hand out toward Yuki. "I must get you to safety."

"Would you really abandon your friend to save yourself?" A snide voice asked.

Yuki turned and her eyes widened in horror. It was the leader of the vampires she and the others had fought at Aido's mansion, the one who'd gotten away from Zero. And he had a terrified Sayori locked inside his arms. On either side of him stood three more vampires, making seven in total.

"Come!" Seiren ordered again, moving so she stood between Yuki and the invading vampires.

"Yuki?" Sayori's voice quavered as she spoke. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Yuki said, her hand automatically going to her side before she realized she didn't have Artemis on her. It was in Sayori's room inside her duffel bag. "But I won't let them hurt you."

The vampire who'd spoken before laughed. "Won't let us? How in the world do you intend to stop us?" He tightened his grip on Sayori and she cried out in pain. "Although, there is one way to ensure her safety. Come with us, and she'll be safe. Otherwise…I'm sure the media will be very excited to find a young woman drained of blood in an alleyway. It will cause quite a stir, I imagine."

"Yuki is not going with you," Seiren declared with a glare, throwing knives at the three vampires to the left of the main one. Two of the knives hit home, though the third vampire managed to dodge.

Yuki's attention was so focused on Sayori that she missed what happened next. Somehow, a wall of fire sprang up between Yuki and Seiren and the four unharmed vampires all pounced on Seiren. In the back of her mind, Yuki wondered if one of these vampires had the power of fire like Kain did.

"Come with me now," the vampire holding Sayori said. "Or your friend dies." He pulled Sayori's neck back at a painful angle and cut her neck with his claws before bending down to lick up the blood.

"I'll go!" Yuki rushed to assure him, trying to look back at Seiren through the corner of her eye. The smoke from the fire was too thick for her to make anything out, though she heard scuffling coming from the other side of the flames.

"Good," the vampire said, his voice pleased. "Come along now."

The vampire forced Sayori to walk before him down the hallway, keeping one hand wrapped around her throat, his other hand holding her arms painfully behind her back. Yuki walked just in front of them, doing everything the vampire told her to. Meanwhile, her mind went over various plans of attack for when they reached the ground floor. True, Yuki didn't have a vampire hunter weapon on her, but she still thought she could do some damage to a vampire. At least, enough for Sayori to get away. Yuki didn't mind if she was caught so long as Sayori was safe.

They reached the parking lot and the door of a van with tinted windows opened to reveal…three more vampires. Yuki's heart sank. There was no way she could take on this many vampires.

"I do apologize for the poor treatment," the vampire holding Sayori said in an airy voice. "But I'm afraid our mistress wants you unconscious for the ride to her mansion. You understand, I'm sure."

Yuki forced herself to stand still as one of the vampires pulled a syringe out of his pocket and injected it into her neck. She felt herself pitch forward as the world went black.

~.~

Two of the vampires fighting Seiren were dead. The third gripped his bleeding arm and bared his fangs. The fourth jumped back, throwing more flames at Seiren. "Lay down and die!" He shouted, an edge of panic in his voice. "Don't you understand you've lost?!"

Seiren's skin was deep red or worse with burns, but she didn't care. The only thought running through her head was that Yuki Cross, Kaname Kuran's chosen mate, had been taken. Rolling through the flames, Seiren picked up the two knives from the chests of the vampires she'd killed earlier. Kaname had entrusted Yuki to her care and she would not disappoint him.


	17. Trapped

**Chapter 17: Trapped**

Yuki woke up feeling groggy. Through bleary eyes she saw iron bars and tried blinking to bring them into focus. The world gradually become clearer and Yuki noticed a young woman standing on the other side of the bars in a richly furnished living room. The woman was beautiful and had long blond hair. It took Yuki a few moments to realize she'd seen the woman before. She was a pureblood who'd been at the same vampire party as Kaname. Yuki remembered being afraid that someone like this pureblood was much more suited to Kaname than she was.

"Good evening, Yuki Cross," the woman said. "It was so kind of you to accept Kyo's invitation to come visit my home."

Only half-listening to the woman, Yuki looked around frantically for Sayori. She was grateful to find her friend sleeping on the floor beside her. The two of them were locked within a cage in the corner of what appeared to be this vampire's living room. Why the woman had a cage in her living room, Yuki really didn't want to know.

A loud ring filled the room as the woman smacked her palm against the bars. Yuki flinched at the sound.

"Pay attention to me when I'm speaking to you," the vampire said in a cold voice, her eyes furious. She took a moment to compose herself and her eyes took on a look of gentleness. To Yuki those eyes seemed to hold a world of cruelty. "I am Sara, the rightful queen of the vampires."

Yuki blinked in surprise, knowing that wasn't possible. Even she knew that the vampire monarchy had been ruled by the Kurans. Whoever this woman was, she had no claims to any vampire throne.

"And you," Sara said sweetly as she knelt down to look at Yuki eye-to-eye, "are going to help me get it. If you cooperate, I'll spare your friend." She smiled a delicate smile that sent chills down Yuki's spine. "If she pleases me I may even turn her into a vampire and make her my attendant. She is a lovely young woman. It would be a shame to waster her on humanity."

Yuki felt sick. Her worries for Sayori aside, how did Sara plan to force Yuki to help her gain the throne? Would she make Yuki betray Kaname somehow? Yuki didn't think she could make herself do that, not even for her dearest friend.

It was at that point that Sayori woke up. She blinked and held one hand to the cut on her neck. "Yuki?" She asked, sitting up and looking around. "Where are we? What's going on?" Her eyes turned fearful as her gaze landed on Kyo. She shrank back against the iron bars and guilt flooded Yuki. She had to do something to help Sayori, though she couldn't imagine what.

Sara smiled at Sayori. "You're a lucky, girl. You've been chosen to rise above your station as vermin among the humans. At least, if your friend cooperates, you will be." Her eyes moved to Yuki. "I am Sara Shirabuki, the rightful ruler of the vampires, but my position has been usurped by Kaname Kuran, who _should not be here!"_ Sara's voice went dark for a moment, rage clouding her eyes.

"I thought Kaname was dead?" Sayori said uncertainly. "And…vampire ruler? Yuki, what does she mean?"

Yuki hung her head. She couldn't believe that after all this time of keeping her friend in the dark about the secret of vampires, she'd have to tell her like this. "Yes, there are vampires, Sayori, but not all are bad! The Night Class were all vampires, Headmaster Cross wanted to help make things better between humans and vampires, so he created his school. Anyway…Kaname sacrificed his heart to help the vampire hunters. He didn't die, but no one expected him to wake up for centuries."

From Sayori's blank face, Yuki couldn't tell if she believed a word Yuki had just said. It was a lot to take in, and Yuki had explained very little. Now was hardly the time to go into details.

"Yes, he's awake because of _you_ ," Sara purred. She reached one hand through the bars and cupped Yuki's cheek. "Your blood awakened him somehow, and now, I'm going to drain you dry and finally overpower Kuran. Then, I will be queen of the vampires as I deserve."

"What?" Yuki said, confused. "My blood?"

Sara stilled, then her cut her eyes toward Kyo, her face dark.

"It was her, it was her!" Kyo rushed to say, backing up with his hand held defensively in front of himself. "She bled into the hole at the Aido mansion and her blood revived Kuran."

Yuki thought back to the night at Aido mansion. She remembered fighting the vampire with the bright red lipstick and her blood falling through a hole…Was it possible that Kaname, who had been in the care of the Night Class, had been right beneath the hole and that her blood revived him? Now that she knew that she herself was a Kuran, the most powerful vampire bloodline, she wondered if her blood did have special properties. No one knew why Kaname woke up only after a few years…maybe that _was_ the reason.

But if Sara wanted Yuki's blood and not for Yuki to betray Kaname, why did she need Yuki's permission to take her blood? Was she afraid to try and take it by force? Yuki certainly had a good reputation as a vampire hunter, but not enough to threaten a pureblood with a multitude of vampires at her beck and call. Maybe Sara only wanted to taunt Kaname with the knowledge that Yuki gave Sara her blood willingly.

Sara's eyes were cold when they looked back at Yuki. "Even if Kyo is wrong," Sara's soft voice seemed to promise punishment if such was the case, "then your death will cause Kaname pain, which will make him distracted and that will benefit me as well. I'll give you a few hours to make your decision." She stood and swept out of the room, Kyo following along behind her.

~.~

Seiren wished she'd left her cell phone behind before attempting to protect Yuki, then she could have immediately called Kaname. Instead, she'd left it in her pocket and the heat from the fire had destroyed it.

Her clothes were burned and torn and every movement hurt, but Seiren pushed all that to the back of her mind as she ran toward the Kuran mansion with single-minded determinedness. After killing the last two vampires, she'd run outside, but she'd been too late. There had been no sign of Yuki Cross or of the vampire that took her.

She couldn't help cursing herself internally with every step she took. Kaname had trusted her with what was most precious to him, and she had failed him utterly. Not only had she not stopped Yuki from being taken, she also knew nothing of the vampires that had taken her, or where they might have taken her.

By the time she reached the Kuran mansion, her body was shaking, ready to give out. A small part of her dreaded Kaname's disappointment and fury, but she let none of it show on her face.

Kaname appeared at the top of the steps, doubtless having heard Seiren came in the door. He froze when he saw the state she was in. The next moment, he was right in front of her.

"Where is she?" He demanded.

It was a struggle for Seiren to suppress her gasps for air after running so long. "I…don't know," she gasped. Now that she'd stopped running, the pain of her burns and other wounds from the fight seemed to intensify. "Vampires came and took her. They took her friend as well. Whoever is behind this has many allies. Over a dozen vampires were sent to capture Yuki."

The front windows behind her shattered, the glass making a tinkling noise as it fell to the floor. She held herself still, resisting the urge to flinch.

"You can't run off without knowing anything," Seiren said desperately as Kaname stepped around her toward the door. "We don't know where she is. Running around blindly won't accomplish anything."

"And what do you think will be done to her as we take the time to assess the situation?" Kaname asked, his voice threatening.

"The same thing that will be done to her if you run around blindly searching for her," Seiren replied calmly.

Kaname paused, closing his eyes and taking a breath.

"Call Takuma and the others," Seiren urged. "They will help."

"No," Kaname said, shaking his head slowly. "I will have them help, but that is not who I need to call now." He looked angry as he took out his cell phone and Seiren wondered who he planned to call.

~.~

Sayori sat flabbergasted after having listened to Yuki's story. Yuki had taken the time Sara had given her to tell Sayori about vampires and more about the Night Class and Day Class. It was shocking, but now Sayori felt like she understood Yuki a little better. No wonder she'd always been so tired in class. She'd had to stay up late every night watching over the Night Class and protecting the Day Class. Sayori wished she'd known so she could have supported her friend better.

"What are you going to do?" Sayori asked Yuki.

Yuki bit her lip. "Whatever I can to protect you. I'm willing to sacrifice my life, but I want to convince Sara to let you go, not turn you into her vampire servant."

"You can't, Yuki!" Sayori said, taking Yuki's hands in her own. "You can't give her all your blood for my sake. Let's escape! You said you've been a vampire hunter for years, right? Don't you know how to fight them?"

"The vampires I fight are aristocrats, common, and level E vampires. Sara is a pureblood, and those are very different from other vampires. They're far more powerful and harder to kill, and I don't have my vampire hunting weapons with me." If only Yuki hadn't gone to Sayori, then they wouldn't be in this situation. Or if Yuki had let Kaname change her back into her true form. If Yuki were also a pureblood, then she could take on Sara. Of course, then she probably wouldn't have been captured in the first place.

"Shouldn't we at least try though?" Sayori begged. "We can't just give in."

Yuki shook her head. "If it was just me I'd risk it, but I won't risk your life, Sayori. It's my fault you're in danger."

"Don't you see this is why they took me too?" Sayori demanded, frustrated. "They brought me here to force you to give your life to Sara. Don't give in to them, Yuki! Don't let them use me this way."

"I'm sorry," Yuki said, shaking her head. "I won't do as you ask, not for this." She wrapped her arms around Sayori and hugged her. "Thank you for being such a dear friend, and for not being angry that I lied to you."

"No!" Sayori said fiercely, returning Yuki's hug. "You can't! I won't let you!"

"I might not be able to stop Sara from turning you into a vampire, but I promise you won't remain her servant. Kaname will come looking for me eventually. He knows how precious you are to me and he'll free you." Yuki froze after saying that. Kaname. Seiren must have been at the apartment because Kaname had sent her to watch over Yuki. If Seiren hadn't died in her fight with all those vampires, then she would tell Kaname what happened. If Yuki could stall long enough…help might arrive.


	18. Rescue

**Chapter 18: Rescue**

"Well?" Sara asked as she sauntered into the room a few hours later, Kyo trailing along behind her. "Have you made the decision to give yourself to me?" Her eyes flickered to Sayori. "Don't forget that your friend's life depends upon your cooperation. If you deny me, she will suffer a very painful death."

Sayori paled, but clenched her fists and moved protectively toward Yuki. Yuki had already warned her friend not to say anything, but she could tell it was an effort for Sayori to stay silent. Pride swelled in Yuki's heart at the sight of Sayori's bravery. Though Sayori was afraid, she refused to be cowed by the pureblood.

"Why do you want to be queen of the vampires?" Yuki asked. "What do you plan to do?" Many vampires were rather vain creatures. If you got Aido talking about himself and his achievements, he could go on for hours. Hopefully, Sara would prove to be similar.

"Because I deserve it," Sara said simply. "Out of all the purebloods I have the most poise, ambition, intelligence, and beauty. Vampire kind will flourish under my hand like we have not for centuries. When the old Vampire Senate was killed by Kaname, I knew it was my time to step in and I slowly began winning vampires to my side. I have an army behind me. True, I did not plan to take the throne yet, but Kuran and his idiotic followers have forced my hand."

"But what will you do as queen?" Yuki asked again. She couldn't imagine anything good coming of this cold and cruel woman becoming a leader of vampires.

Sara tilted her head as she studied Yuki. "What does it matter to you? You will be dead and it will not affect you one way or the other."

Faster than Yuki's eyes could follow, Sara's hand slid between the bars, her claws making a small cut on her neck. Sara brought her claws to her mouth, licking the spot of blood on them. Her eyes widened and she gave a soft gasp.

"What?" Kyo asked, lurching forward and looking between Sara and Yuki. "What happened, Mistress?"

Sara's eyes gleamed. "Every vampire wondered why Kuran kept a little human girl by his side. We all thought he'd gone mad, wanting a human, but he knew there was something special about you, special about your blood. He must have kept you by his side, biding his time until he could drain you dry. Or perhaps…perhaps he wished to turn you into a vampire so he could drink your blood for decades."

Tapping a fingernail against her lips, Sara considered Yuki with a thoughtful expression. "That sounds like a good idea to me. If your blood truly makes me stronger, it's best to keep you around for as long as possible." She tilted her head, her long hair cascading over one shoulder. "But I wonder what it is that makes you so special? Who are you really, Yuki Cross?"

Before Yuki could decide if the question was rhetorical or not, a vampire burst into the room. "Mistress, the mansion is under attack!"

"How did Kuran find out we had the girl so quickly?" Sara demanded, whirling around.

The vampire shook his head. "It's not Kuran. It's vampire hunters."

Sara blanched, then her face contorted in fury. "How dare the hunters attack me!? Are they hoping to start a war with vampire kind? It's suicide for them to attack a pureblood, vampires will never stand for it!"

Yuki blinked in surprise. She certainly hadn't been expecting vampire hunters. How had they found out where she was? How did they even know she was missing since she'd been staying with Sayori for two weeks?

Taicho burst through the door a moment later. The vampire who'd announced the attack stepped in front of Sara, but Taicho struck him down with a single swing of his weapon.

Pulling herself up tall, Sara stared down at Taicho like he was a cockroach. "And what right does the Hunter Association think they have to invade my home?"

Taicho raised one arm and pointed at Yuki and Sayori. "The harming of humans is forbidden. You have two you've kidnapped and are holding hostage for some unknown purpose." He paused. "Not to mention the fact that one of them is a vampire hunter herself. It was easy for us to track her cell phone."

Yuki put a hand to her pocket in surprise, shocked to find out she still had her phone on her.

"Were you really so arrogant as to think we'd leave one of our own in the clutches of a vampire if that vampire happened to be a pureblood?" Taicho asked. "The vampires may worship your kind, but we do not."

Sara bared her fangs.

~.~

"This is stupid," Aido muttered.

Kain elbowed him in the ribs, throwing a significant glance at Kaname standing fifteen feet away.

Aido folded his arms and pouted. "Well it is. We're vampires working with vampire _hunters_ to save Cross' daughter. You can't tell me this whole thing doesn't feel like some bizarre dream."

Kain ignored his cousin. He was sure it was killing Kaname to hold himself back, but they didn't know how many vampires were hidden in the Shirabuki mansion. It was better to let the hunters go in first and throw Sara's vampires off balance. They'd never expect vampire hunters to dare attack a pureblood over two measly humans. Soon, the Night Class would join the hunters and cause even more confusion and destruction. For Kaname's sake, Kain really hoped Yuki wasn't harmed in the melee.

A green flare exploded over the mansion. "There's our cue," Kain murmured. Kaname was already gone.

~.~

Aido tried to be enthusiastic over the fight, really he did, but how was he supposed to whole-heartedly support attacking a pureblood for the sake of a human girl? Kaname's affection for Yuki baffled him even now. Especially since Yuki became a hunter after Kaname sacrificed his heart, but everyone else seemed to have forgotten all about that.

According to Takuma, Yuki was the whole reason Kaname decided to take a role in governing the vampires, so they should all be grateful to Yuki. Aido didn't believe one little human could possibly motivate a being so great as Kaname to do anything, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Inside the mansion was chaos. Sara appeared to have a mini-army hidden inside. There were fights and standoffs everywhere. Vampire hunter vs. vampire. Vampire vs. vampire. Vampire hunter and vampire vs. vampire. It took effort for Aido not to become a casualty of someone else's fight.

"Die, unbeliever!" A voice shouted and suddenly a vampire wielding a knife leapt off a stairway right above Aido.

"Gah!" Aido yelled, twisting out of the way. "Unbeliever? What the heck kind of an insult is that?"

"You do not believe in the majesty of Mistress Shirabuki!" The vampire said, a manic gleam in his eyes. "You are here to stop her rise to power, but we won't let you!"

"Shut up," Aido said before surrounding the vampire in ice. "What a crazy. Maybe I am happy to fight you guys after all."

Somehow amid all the noise, Aido heard a scraping noise, the sound of metal on metal, behind him and it sent his teeth on edge. He turned to yell at whoever made the ghastly noise only to find a vampire who'd somehow gotten a hold of a vampire hunter's gun. He stood in a shadowy doorway leading to a hallway. Aido paled and saw a glint of white from the vampire's teeth as he grinned at Aido before placing his finger on the trigger.

Aido closed his eyes and cringed, the only thoughts running through his head were, 'Stupid hunter for losing his gun!' and 'I really hate pain'.

The sound of glass shattering made Aido's eyes fly open. The remains of an expensive looking vase lay all over the head and shoulders of the vampire who'd been about to shoot him. The vampire blinked in surprise as blood started to drip from various cuts.

Aido, not one to let convenient opportunities pass him by, raced forward, flinging his ice at the stunned vampire. He stepped through the doorway and glowered at the human he smelled there.

"A vase?" He asked. "All the training the famed Vampire Hunter Association has to offer and all you could do against a vampire was smash a _vase_ on his _head_? You should have your license revoked or whatever it is you people use to prove you're vampire hunters."

"Well, excuse me for not being an expert vampire killer," an offended voice said, putting their hands on their hips. As Aido's eyes adjusted to the dim light of the hall, he realized the human was a woman with light, wispy hair. More than that, she was _familiar_ human woman. "The next time I see someone pointing a gun at you, I'll just let them shoot!"

"You-you're Yuki's friend," Aido said in amazement. He remembered her from the Day Class. She'd never been one of the girls to go crazy over the Night Class, but Aido remembered her because she spent so much time with Yuki. "You got captured too? How did you end up in this hall?"

"I'm not sure," the woman said (Aido couldn't for the life of him remember her name). She looked downcast as she tangled her fingers together and stared at the floor. "Yuki and I were locked up in a cage downstairs. A vampire hunter showed up and then Cross came, and then things got confusing. The lights went out and the door of the cage was suddenly open, then someone pushed me out of the room and I somehow ended up in this hall."

She glanced up, her eyes earnest and teary and her hands clasped together. "Is Yuki going to be okay?"

Aido didn't know what to say. No girl had ever looked at him like that before. He felt like someone had just smacked him upside the head with a two-by-four. Somehow, he found himself saying, "Of course she's going to be okay. Kaname Kuran the Supreme came to save her. No one can beat Kaname."

~.~

"Hyah!" Yuki cried, really hoping the body she was shoving Artemis into was a vampire's. It was too dark to tell.

After Taicho and her adopted father arrived, Taicho threw Artemis to Yuki right before the lights in the room went out. She assumed the power outage was part of the hunters' plan, because Cross and Taicho went right on fighting, even when they heard the door open again and vampires loyal to Sara came piling in. With Artemis' help, Yuki had been able to force the cage door open. She'd guided Sayori to where she was at least safer if not safe, then returned to the room to help Cross and Taicho. She really hoped Sayori had found hunters to protect her from harm.

The lights flickered back on and Yuki realized that more hunters had joined them, including Zero. They were overpowering the vampires. Sara stood off in a corner, away from the fighting and two dead hunters lay at her feet. Light seemed to surround the vampire and her hair moved as though caught in a wind, though of course there was no wind inside the mansion.

"Zero!" Yuki called, her voice panicked. She'd never seen a pureblood go all out with their power, but she had a sinking feeling she was about to.

Zero glanced at Yuki before following the direction of her gaze. He cursed and fired Bloody Rose, but a vampire who'd been grappling with Taicho abandoned the fight to jump in front of Sara and take the shot himself. He crumpled to the ground.

Zero cursed and aimed again, but suddenly there was a new vampire between Sara and Zero, though this vampire faced Sara rather than Zero.

"Kaname!" Yuki cried, unable to help herself.

Zero's look darkened, but he aimed Bloody Rose at the floor, waiting to see what happened.

The room went silent when everyone noticed Kaname's presence, all the fighting stopping almost as though someone had hit pause on the world. Sara's gathered power seemed to dissipate and she looked nervous. She glanced at Yuki with a look that said she really wished she'd already drank Yuki's blood before she seemed to relax.

"How sweet of you to come visit me, Kaname," Sara said, the picture of poise as though she was greeting Kaname in a sitting room rather than in the middle of a fight. "I'm afraid you've chosen a terrible time, as you can see. I have a few uninvited guests who simply refuse to leave. I don't suppose you'd be enough of a gentleman to show them the door?" She tilted her head, full lips pouting as she waited for a response.

"I'm sorry you're not enjoying your guests," he said. "I invited them myself. You see, as vampire king I'm working to improve relations between humans and vampires. As such, I thought it might be beneficial for the hunters to visit the home of a pureblood."

Sara's face twisted in anger. "You dare call yourself a king, yet you ally yourself with our enemies rather than stand with one of your own?"

"One of my own?" Kaname asked softly. "One of my own would never take what is mine." Yuki couldn't see Kaname's face, but his voice was terrifying despite its softness. "You took my precious girl. I would fight against the whole world on her behalf, let alone one pureblood with delusions of grandeur."

"All this fuss over one little girl. What secrets are you keeping, Kuran?" Sara asked.

She twirled her hand a little, down at her side. The movement seemed so out of place that it caught Yuki's attention. That's when Yuki realized the room wasn't completely still. There was one person moving.

Kyo grabbed Yuki and threw her at Sara. Cold, strong arms caught her.

"Ah-ah," Yuki heard Sara say as Sara's hand grasped Yuki's hair and pulled her neck back at an awkward angle. "Take one more step, make one single move and your 'precious girl' dies. You're fast Kaname, but not fast enough to reach me before I kill her."

Yuki held still. She'd dropped Artemis when she'd been thrown, but it was still within reach of her foot. Slowly, slowly, trying not to attract any attention, Yuki slid one foot a centimeter at a time toward her weapon. Through her focus, she barely made out what Sara was saying to Kaname. Something about Kaname hiding that Yuki's blood was special and promising not to kill Yuki as long as he kept his distance.

Her foot had just reached Artemis when fangs struck her neck. Yuki gasped at the pain, but at least it gave her an excuse to jerk her leg back, bringing Artemis closer to her. Everyone watching would just think she'd spasmed in pain.

Dimly, she heard what sounded like a snarl. With a start she realized it was Kaname.

 _Focus!_ She chastised herself. She'd only get one shot and she had to be fast. Black spots appeared in her vision and she felt dizzy. Sara was taking too much blood too fast. Hooking one foot under Artemis, Yuki kicked it up and caught it, jamming it straight behind her into Sara.

Sara's fangs ripped away from Yuki's neck, tearing a jagged hole. Sara screamed, hands going to her impaled stomach. Without Sara holding her up, Yuki dropped to the ground. Weakly, she tried to move her hands to cover the hole in her neck pumping blood, but she blacked out before she made it.

~.~

The moment Yuki hit the floor and was safe from Sara, Kaname rushed forward. It had made him sick to stand by as Sara sucked Yuki's blood, but he hadn't dared to make a move so long as it seemed like Sara would keep her word and not drink enough to kill Yuki.

At first he'd thought Sara's speech about Yuki's blood making a vampire stronger was simply more of her delusions, but as she drank Yuki's blood, he'd felt Sara's power grow. If a vampire drank his blood they would temporarily gain greater power and it appeared that even as a human, Yuki's blood was potent.

Kaname was just growing concerned about whether he'd be able to kill Sara now when Yuki stabbed her. His brilliant, resilient Yuki. Vampires were always underestimating her.

With a powerful vampire weapon stuck through her middle, Sara was in no condition to fight Kaname. She tried to back up when he appeared in front of her, but Kaname's hand grasped her neck before she had a chance.

"I would have left you alone," he said quietly, so only she could hear. "I would have left you to plans and let you scheme whatever you wished so long as you left her alone. The moment you set your sights on Yuki, your fate was sealed." He squeezed. With his free hand, he pulled Artemis out of Sara's stomach and shoved it into her heart. When her skin cracked and she began dissolving into dust, out of the corner of his eye he spotted Sara's lackey who'd grabbed Yuki lunge for him. Before Kaname could turn toward him, he heard Bloody Rose fire. The vampire dropped to the ground.

Kaname turned his attention to Yuki, kneeling beside her. She'd lost too much blood. He could immediately tell she'd lost too much. Panic welled inside him. He could not lose her. He _would_ not lose her. He looked up until he met Cross' eyes across the room. "It's time," he told him. "There's no other way she'll survive."

Cross nodded, an indecipherable look on his face. Kaname couldn't tell if he was upset about Kaname's plan, or just worried for Yuki. Frankly, he didn't care.

"Come on," Cross ordered the hunters, his voice commanding. The fight had gone out of the few remaining vampires when their mistress had died. "There are still more of Sara's minions to be taken care of. Let's finish the job."

Zero's eyes widened as he looked between Cross heading for the door and Kaname kneeling with Yuki in his arms. "Are you joking?" He demanded, his hand tightening around Bloody Rose. "You're going to let him turn her into a vampire?"

"She's dying, Zero," Cross said softly.

"You're blind," Zero said, slowly raising his gun. "You may be willing to condemn Yuki to the eventual fate of a Level E vampire, but I am not."

Cross turned and saw what Zero was doing. "Zero, no!" He exclaimed, lunging for him. He caught Zero's arm and Zero's shot went wild, hitting a couch. They both looked over to Kaname and Yuki only to see that they were gone.

Zero's eyes widened. "You stupid old man! Do you have any idea what you've done?! She'll be like _me_. She'll—"

"She won't be like you!" Cross yelled over Zero's tirade. Zero struggled against him, desperate to find Yuki and stop Kaname. "Listen to me, Kaname isn't turning her into a vampire, he's turning her _back_ into a vampire!"

"What?" Zero asked, stunned into stopping his struggles.

"They're both Kurans," Cross said. "It's…it's a long story. One that I'll tell after we finish here, but Yuki…is going back to where she belongs."


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Kaname held Yuki tenderly in the empty room he'd secreted her away to, sitting on a love seat with her in his arms. Fighting was still going on in the mansion, but Kaname was confident they wouldn't be disturbed here. As for Kiryu, he'd deal with him later.

Gently, he brushed Yuki's hair out of the way. The sight of the wound caused by Sara enraged him and made him want to kill the vampire all over again. Yuki would not leave his sight again after this night. At least, not for a very long time.

Bending over his beloved, he bit the side of her neck that was unharmed. He took only as much as he needed to, saddened that the first time he was able to drink Yuki's blood was under circumstances like this. The moment he'd taken enough, he bit his own arm and sucked out his blood before bringing Yuki's lips to his and transferring the blood to her mouth.

One transfer should have been enough, but he was concerned about all the blood Yuki had already lost. He transferred his own blood to her several more times before stopping to watch her. Some color returned to her pale skin and the wound on her neck began healing. He finally relaxed. Yuki would be okay. All she needed now was rest.

~.~

The next night, Yuki awoke with a gasp and looked around an unfamiliar room. It was dark and she lay on a large bed with a canopy overhead.

"Yuki," a soft voice said.

Yuki turned to find Kaname sitting next to her on the bed. He brushed hair away from her face, leaving his hand resting on her cheek. "How are you?"

The moment Yuki saw him, it felt like she couldn't breathe. Her throat was parched as though she'd been walking in the desert sun for days with no water. Her eyes zeroed in on his throat.

"You're thirsty," he said, a statement and not a question. Gathering her into his arms, he leaned his head back, offering his neck.

Yuki hesitated for only a second before lunging for his neck. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she straddled him as she drank his blood. It was impossible to describe the taste. It was…perfect. It tasted like it was everything she'd ever need, like it belonged to her and her alone.

After a few moments, thoughts other than thirst and the taste of Kaname's blood finally entered her mind. She was a vampire now. Or, again. She didn't remember that happening. It must have happened after she'd stabbed Sara. Then, other memories flooded her mind. Kaname feeding her his energy when they were children, Juri reading her stories, and Haruka putting her to bed. The memories hit her like bullets, one coming right after the other.

Finally, she pulled back from Kaname, breathing heavy. Kaname watched her silently as she caught her breath and she watched him back, unsure of what to say.

He broke the silence first. "I'm sorry I turned you without your permission." He cupped her cheek. "You were dying. You'd lost too much blood and I couldn't lose you." He paused and sighed. "I want only honesty between us, Yuki. I'm not sorry you are a vampire again. I'm only sorry we were unable to discuss the matter beforehand."

Yuki shook her head. "Don't apologize, Kaname. It's my fault. I'm the one who caused you so much pain by leaving you alone. If I'd had my memories, I never would have put you through that." She blushed and looked down. "Even without my memories, I still would have chosen you. I just needed time."

"I know," Kaname said, kissing her forehead. "I knew you would come back to me." At least, most of him had. A small part of him had been terrified that maybe she wouldn't want him anymore.

When she looked back at Kaname, Yuki finally realized the position they were in. The position _she_ had put them in. She rushed to try to get off him, but Kaname held her in place. "What's wrong, Yuki?"

Nervously, Yuki gestured between. "I-I'm on top of you. That can't be very comfortable. I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. All I could think about was wanting your blood."

"Yuki," Kaname said gently, cupping her chin and forcing her to look at him. "You have your memories back now. Do you remember that we're engaged? Or perhaps, you wish to refuse the engagement now."

"No!" Yuki rushed to say placing a hand on Kaname's chest. "No, that's not when I meant at all!"

"Well, then, it's not a problem is it?" Kaname asked, cradling the back of Yuki's head and bringing her lips down to his.

~.~

"What a mess," Aido said, hands on his hips as he surveyed what was left of Sayori's burned apartment. Takuma thought it would be a good idea if Sayori stayed around for a little while to help Yuki through her transition of turning from a human back into a vampire. _Back_ into a vampire. That thought still boggled Aido's mind. Especially when he thought of how he'd sometimes treated Yuki, who was really a pureblood, in the past.

Anyway, Sayori had agreed to help Yuki and Aido somehow found himself volunteered to gather Sayori's personal items. If he could even find any.

Surprisingly, Aido discovered that most of the damage in the bedroom was only smoke damage. They'd have to wash the smoke smell out of Sayori's clothes, but at least they were still usable. He dropped the duffel bag Kain had given him on the floor and dumped the contents of the drawers inside.

Next, he went to the bathroom. Things looked less promising here. After picking up a shampoo bottle and watching the contents ooze out of a hole that had been burned into the side, he dropped the bottle in the tub and gave the bathroom up as a lost cause. At least Sayori would have her clothes.

He'd offered to just buy the girl new clothes, since it wasn't like he couldn't easily afford it, but Takuma had insisted Sayori needed familiar things in her life since everything in it had been turned so upside down. Having her apartment burned down, being kidnapped by a crazy pureblood, finding out about vampires and vampire hunters, discovering that her best friend was both a vampire hunter and secretly a pureblood…It was a lot to process.

Outside Sayori's apartment, Aido discovered a frazzled young man. He had short hair that stuck up in tufts as though he kept running his fingers through it and his glasses sat askew on his face. He looked like a nerd.

"Excuse me," the man said, violating Aido's personal space. "Do you know what happened here? I'm Hojo Himuga. Sayori Wakabe, the girl who lives in this apartment, is my girlfriend. Do you know where she is? Is she okay? I haven't heard anything from her in three days."

For some reason, Aido's mind flashed to the fight at Sara's mansion. He remembered Sayori, with no training and after just learning about the existence of vampires smashing a vase over the head of a vampire to save him. He also remembered how she'd looked with her hands clasped together and tears in her eyes as she asked whether Yuki would be okay.

Without really thinking about it, Aido found himself placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "The woman living here died in the fire. You should delete her from your phone and forget all about her. Sorry." He shrugged, not looking much sorry at all, and walked away.

~.~

 _One Month Later_

"Can't I come to the meeting, Kaname?" Yuki asked, straightening his shirt and jacket. "I want to be helpful."

"You are helpful," Kaname said, taking Yuki's hands in his own and raising them to his lips. "None of all the good things happening right now would be possible without you. But you still have much to learn."

Yuki blushed. "That's not true. Most things are thanks to you, not me. The vampire hunters are willing to work with you because of the years I worked with them, but that's all." Zero, the president of the Vampire Hunter Association, had only met with the vampires once to set up how the relationship between the two groups would work. After that, he'd delegated all the work to Taicho. It made Yuki sad that she never saw Zero anymore and that he probably hated her now since she was a vampire, but she was grateful he was at least willing to let the vampires and hunters work together.

Kaname smiled. "I'm afraid we'll have to disagree on this. I promise I'll tell you everything that goes on in the meeting." He bent and kissed her forehead.

"You just don't want me to leave the mansion," Yuki pouted.

"We haven't rounded up all of Sara's supporters yet," Kaname said gently. "It would be very like them to harm you to get to me. What kind of a fiancé would I be if I willingly put you in harm's way?"

Yuki sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue.

"Go to your class with Aido," Kaname urged. "I'll be back by the time you're done."

~.~

In the library, Yuki found Aido and Sayori already waiting there. "You're joining us again?" Yuki asked Sayori happily.

"Just for a little bit before I go to bed," Sayori said. "I have class in the morning."

"Don't know why you bother going to college when I can teach you everything better than your professors can," Aido muttered.

"Don't talk like that, Aido," Sayori chastised, hands on her hips. "A degree is important and I plan to finish mine. I only come to your classes because I figure it's important to know more about vampire society seeing as my best friend and boyfriend are both one."

Aido continued to pout. "But you're barely awake at night since you spend most your time awake during the day at college. I hardly see you during the week."

Sayori sighed. "Next semester I'll be able to switch to evening classes and then we can spend more time together, okay?"

Aido perked up at that and began the lesson.

~.~

True to his word, Kaname arrived back at nearly the same time Yuki finished her class.

"Welcome home," Yuki greeted, embracing him.

He pulled back enough to kiss her.

"How did the meeting go?" She asked.

"Well. The Senate and the hunters agree that I should remain king. Vampires need the firm hand of a monarchy to reestablish order after the chaos of the last few years. We can reassess the situation in a decade or so."

"Good," Yuki said. Curling her hand in his hair, she shyly added, "I promise to stay by your side and support you through everything."

"Just support me?" Kaname teased. "What a cruel thing to say to your fiancé."

"And love you, of course," Yuki said with a blush. "That part goes without saying."

"It doesn't," Kaname argued. "I want to hear you say it over and over, no matter how long we live out our lives together."

"I love you," Yuki said obligingly.

"Mm. You are my whole world," Kaname whispered against her lips. He kissed a trail down her neck, gently nipping at her pulse. "Yuki, aren't you hungry?"

"I-I didn't say anything," Yuki said, blushing.

"You don't have to," Kaname said, amused. "It's been a few days since you drank my blood."

"I should get used to the blood tablets," Yuki said, turning away from Kaname. "That's what Aido keeps telling me."

"Aido is wrong," Kaname said, sweeping Yuki up in his arms. "There is no need for you to ever drink blood other than mine." He paused to kiss Yuki deeply. When he lifted his lips, she forgot for a moment what they'd been talking about. "We'll continue this in our room."

 **A/N:** As often is the case, I feel like I rushed the ending a bit. Hopefully, everyone reading this is satisfied with how things turned out. And no, Zero haters, Yuki did not let Kaname do anything to Zero in the end. We all know Kaname can't refuse any request of Yuki's. Thanks for reading!


End file.
